Hell's Angels
by Savlator-HeartBreaker
Summary: "I have decided that I would like for you, Ulquiorra, to be the one to get her when the time is right. And I would like you to also take good care of her while she is at the Palace as well. Tend to her every need. I would do it myself, but I am a busy man. So I leave this task to you." Ulquiorra x OC! (And Possibly Later Grimmjow with another OC?;p)
1. Planning

_**So hiii guys :3 I do not share my writings very often... but this is a story that my friend and I decided to work on together, and we thought that we might as well share it with the rest of you :3 If you do not like it, then I apologize, but please no hate. Though I am always open to ideas and advice, etc. So please leave comments and/or send me a private message. Also if I make any typos (which I do a lot lol) please notify me about it. **_

_**Anyways, welcome to my imagination~ I hope that you do enjoy. Your favorites and follows will be very much appreciated3  
**_

_**Ps. If you see this story on another account, do not worry, that's just my friend who is writing this along with me(:**_

Chapter One: Plan…

Deep within the castle that lied within Hueco Mundo there had been a group gathering of all the Arrancar and Espada present in the dimension. Before them stood their leader/creator, Sosuke Aizen. He stood tall, with a straight back and squared shoulders. His medium brown locks of hair were slicked back out of his face, allowing everyone to see the smug expression that was present upon his face.

He glanced over the gathered crowd, silently determining whether everyone was actually there or not. Once he decided they were, he began to speak. "Good afternoon," He greeted in a mellow voice, not expecting nor wishing for a reply, "I have gathered you all today to discuss a… rumor." His pink lips curled into a brilliant smirk; there were a few groans of boredom in response. The silver haired man that stood besides Aizen, Gin, shot the groaners a cruel look, silencing all future forms of protest.

"Has anyone here ever heard of the creature known as a Kanara?" The room remained quiet. "I figured as much," Aizen muttered before he began to explain. "A Kanara is said to be a unique type of Hanyou- a half demon. But, a Kanara is more than just a half demon, for they are half Tenshi as well. They are the combination of an angel and a demon. It has been said for centuries that such a creature could never truly exist." He eyed a few of the individual Arrancar, making them awkwardly squirm under his stare. "But all of you were also said to be impossible to create as well, so we all know how that turns out." He twitched a sinister smile before continuing, "In theory, if a Kanara did exist, it would have the potential to be one of the most powerful beings in the universe."

Several of the Arrancar just stood there dumbfounded. Most of them didn't even actually know that there were such things as Tenshi or Youkai, they thought that Shinigami and Hollows were the closest things to it. Then there was an unexpected interruption by one of Aizen's followers, "So what? You plan to create one?" assumed a female voice from among the crowd.

Aizen gave the girl a sharp glance, causing her to shrink back into the depths of the crowd. "No. I don't have to create one." The malevolent smile returned to his lips. "I believe that someone has already taken care of that part for us." He told them, his smirk widening even further. "It is rumored that the Devil himself fathered some of these unique Hanyou."

"So what do you plan to do then? Capture one of them? That does not seem like an easy task if they are really as strong as you say. Plus, who is stupid enough to kidnap Satan's children?" Another Arrancar piped up.

"Indeed, capturing one of them would be extremely difficult, and it could go very wrong…" Aizen agreed with a brief nod of his head. "But luckily I have a plan."

"You see, Lucifer does not commonly get involved with his children's lives. So that, I do not believe, will be of any problem. But, besides that… If my information is correct, there are already other full blooded Youkai and Tenshi that are hunting after these Halflings. Recently, an execution squad has been dispatched to find the Kanara children, purify them, and then behead them."

"You said they would be the strongest creatures on Earth, so why would these other people think they could ever actually catch them?"

Aizen chuckled at the question. "I did say strongest, but I never necessarily said the smartest." He replied, ceasing any more questions for the moment. "Our best bet is the daughter Nicole Knight. She is a real trouble maker… Though it is forbidden by her father, she commonly leaves the safety of her homelands to travel to the World of the Living just to torment people. She is still very young, only in her late teens. She still has much to learn and grow. She is also the number one Kanara that the Hunters want to kill, due to her constant terrorizing of people."

"I am sure that it is just a matter of time before she gets caught. All that we have to do is take her after they have purified her of her demonic abilities, and make sure that they do not have the chance to behead her before we do so."

"What is the point of taking her if she loses her demonic abilities?" Someone wondered aloud, others in the crowd agreed with him, wondering the same exact thing.

"The purification of such a being is only temporary. If given the right amount of time to recuperated, and the proper care, she will eventually return to her old self. And then it is just a matter of convincing her to assist us once she has.

"You see, I have spent much time studying these types of creatures, and based off of what I have seen, they are incredibly loyal. If we manage to convince her while she is weak that we are only here to help her, and that we value her as something special, she will in return help us with whatever we need."

This time an obnoxious female voice spoke up, annoyance clearly in her voice. "And what can she possibly do that we can't?"

With that, Aizen nearly collapsed with laughter. "Can you control the army of the Damned? Can you regenerate not only your own body parts, but others are well? Can you take on an entire army of shinigami with merely your fists? I highly doubt it. You all will see, once we have her." With that, Aizen glanced over at his favorite Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer.

The unnaturally pale Arrancar remained completely silent the entire time, no emotion showing as he listened attentively to his master speak. "I have decided that I would like for you, Ulquiorra, to be the one to get her when the time is right. And I would like you to also take good care of her while she is at the Palace as well. Tend to her every need. I would do it myself, but I am a busy man. So I leave this task to you."

The pale man nodded his head in understanding, his emerald green eyes never once shifting away from the man before him. His bicolored lips- his upper lip black and lower lip white- remained in a constant straight line, never once indicating any sort of emotion. His hands were tucked deep within his white coat's pockets. Though on the inside, he silently cursed, not looking forward to having to babysit some hanyou brat…

_**Also I might as well mention, Kanaras are not a real thing or even a real word for that matter. They are something I made up years ago, they are supposed to be basically any creature that is a hybrid made of two opposite things. Examples being a Vampire/Werewolf hybrid, or a Youkai/Tenshi hybrid, etc... Just thought I would clear that up.**_


	2. Purification

_**Okay so this is the second chapter guys :3 **_

_**So please bare with me, I have never actually made a story before where my OC Nicole has been weak XD So I had a difficult time writing a scene where she actually gets caught and purified... I was at lost and totally BS-ed it. Sorry DX I will try to get better!3 **_

_**Enjoy~!**_

Chapter Two: Purification

The streets of New York were as busy as always. Cars sped pass the half crowded sidewalks. It was the middle of the night, yet there were still all sorts of people out and about. A beautiful strawberry blonde haired girl closely watched from a corporation rooftop as the people beneath her scurried to their desired designations.

Even though she was several stories from the ground, her enhanced vision made it easy to keep an attentive eye on everyone that was below her. Her nose twitched in disgust as the smoke and smog of the air polluted her lungs. She raised a sleeved arm up to her face in attempt to shield her nostrils from the putrid scent, but it did little good.

She wasn't exactly sure why she had come here; she hated this world. She hated it, and all of the humans who called it their home. But yet something about this place just called out to her today, something about breaking the law of her homeland and traveling to the world of the humans excited her, even if she despised nearly everything that was there.

If anyone had bothered to glance up at the building's roof, they would have sworn that they had laid eyes upon an angel. She was absolutely gorgeous. Her semi-short, wildly styled strawberry blonde hair glowed in the subtle moonlight. Her bangs fell slightly in her face with a slant, partially covering her right eye. Even so, her gem like orbs still glowed from under the golden strands.

Her eyes were some of the most unique in the world. Her left eye glimmered a bright jade green, while her right eye sparkled a glamorous turquoise blue. But not only was the color simply something special, but so were the rest of the components to her eyes. Her pupils were in the shape of vertical slits, like that of a feline's, and her eyelashes that framed them were full and beautiful. With each blink, her eyes always seemed to be flirting with whomever they were focused upon.

Her skin was just as stunning as the rest of her- with an ivory complexion and no flaws to be spotted. There was no discoloration, and no blemishes present. The only part of her flesh that differed from the rest in color was the soft flesh of her lips. Her lips were nothing less than sinful with their lively red hue, and their natural plumpness.

However, her face wasn't the only outstanding part of her. The rest of her complimented that gorgeous face to an outstanding level. She was thin, yet had a desirable amount of flesh on her body, giving her the perfect amount of curves. She stood at average height, but somehow her lean legs seemed longer and more attractive than other women's did. She was simply a magnificent sight to behold.

She dangled her slender legs over the lip of the roof top, her bare flesh exposed as she wore white mini shorts and a black long sleeved top. Her black stilettos threatened to fall off of her feet with each swing that she gave of her legs. She began to hum a melody to herself as she attentively stared at a group of friends down below that was clearly up to no good. A devious smirk twitched on her lips revealing her devilishly sharp canine teeth as she watched the group saunter into a dark alley. She reached up with her clawed hand and brushed back some of her hair, tucking it behind her elfishly pointed ears. A wicked gleam flashed in her multicolored eyes. This should be fun…

"Nicole Knight," A deep male voice from behind her addressed her formally. Her humming immediately stopped. She did not turn to see the people behind her, but her body had become rigid. A threatening chill crept up her spine, alerting her of danger. She could sense there were a small number of people behind her, maybe three at minimum, and she could tell that they were not human, much like her. She caught a breath of their scent and immediately knew that they were Tenshi, just like her mother. They were angels.

The person who had addressed her eyed Nicole's back with caution, knowing full well what kind of destruction this teenage appearing girl could cause. When she did not reply, he continued, "You are Nicole, are you not?" He questioned in a demanding tone.

Nicole had kept her eyes locked on that dark alley the entire time. Her voice was quiet, but the cold callous tone was still present. "I suppose that it depends on who is asking."

Now confident that the girl was who he suspected, the hooded man pulled out a blade from his white robe and held it firmly in his hand. "We are an execution squad, sent to purify you of your Youkai powers, and then behead you where you stand." He told her with confidence.

Nicole's eyelids drooped lazily. "I see." She responded, and within that moment she was gone. She moved at such tremendous speed, that they had not even seen her rise from her seat. They blinked vigorously, trying to determine which way she had gone, before finally they detected her presence far off to the left and decided to follow it.

They too moved at high speeds, but even so, they had a difficulty catching up to the girl. Once they were close enough, the leader raised his hand and pointed to the girl running before him, chanting some foreign language and releasing a large amount of purifying spiritual energy that overwhelmed Nicole and dropped her to her knees. She hissed in displeasure as she felt her Youkai blood inside boil. Her entire body ached, and the pain only grew as the other two men joined in, surrounding her and chanting the same unfamiliar words as the other man.

She hissed more loudly, digging her fingers into the dirt below her as she felt her claws recoiling back into her body. She could feel her demonic energy dissipating; she trembled as all of her strength simply swindled into nothing. Her blonde hair faded into a deep black, and her inhuman features faded into normal human like traits. Her eyes deepened in color, turning a deep cobalt blue, and her pupils lost all of their feline likeness.

The chants stopped when they sensed no more demonic aura radiating from the girl. They had watched the entire transition, from her being a special type of Hanyou, a half demon mixed with an Angel, to just being an angel. She was now like one of them, but that did not change the fact that she had to be exterminated. They knew that if she was given the proper care, her demonic abilities would return, for it was in her blood. She was born a demon, so this could not be helped.

The hooded figure that had first spoken to her now approached, with his dagger still in hand. Nicole glared up at him from underneath her now black bangs. She attempted to hiss, so used to it being in her Youkai nature, but she sounded so much less threatening now than she had before.

"Forgive us," He prayed before raising his hand with the blade above her.

She eyes held a scorching hatred within them. "Burn in hell," that was all she replied.

She held her glare with him the entire time, watching helplessly as he brought the blade down to pierce her flesh, but to her surprise it never actually touched her. There was a blur of movement, and before either of them knew what had happened, blood splattered across both of their faces. Nicole's eyes opened wide with shock as she took in the sight before her.

The Tenshi that had attempted to kill her was dead. A pale white hand had punched him through the back, and had gone out through his sternum, creating a bloody mess everywhere. His body had instantly followed limp, only lifted by the arm that had pierced through him. Then just as quickly as it came, the hand had left the corpse, dropping the dead angel to the ground.

Nicole could feel her heart wildly pound inside of her chest. Her adrenaline was kicking in and telling her to run away, but her body remained motionless. She found herself to be too startled to move. The only thing she managed to do was to look up at her savior. She was even more shocked at what she saw. Before her stood a young looking man. A hollow… She identified, seeing the empty hole in his chest, and the partial mask resting on his head. She was confused on why this hollow appeared to be so human like in his figure. Her heart stopped dead when he looked back down at her, catching her gaze.

Those soul piercing deep emerald eyes settled on hers, and she felt as if her soul left her very body at that moment. Those feline resembling eyes were void of all emotion, and held nothing but cruelty within them. With her enhanced vision now gone, she struggled to see further detail of him in the dark, but she could make out that he was wearing all white, and that his skin was an unnaturally pasty color. She saw that he had deep green tear like marks down both of his cheeks, running from his eyes as if he were eternally crying.

A small gust of wind picked up, tossing around his untamed black hair, and giving her a better view of his face. She could feel her breath get caught in her throat as she continued to stare at his deathly beauty. Maybe she was dead after all. For she was sure that at the moment, she was staring at death himself.

With that last thought, her eyes fell shut and her body collapsed to the cold ground.

***

Ulquiorra watched as the girl that he had just rescued stare at him in shock. He could see a mixture of emotions flood her face: Pain, horror and confusion. Eventually she became so overwhelmed by his presence that she passed out and crashed onto the ground beneath her. He stared at her, his face completely void of all emotions. This is the girl that Aizen wants? This small little girl who can barely run away from trash such as them? He glanced back at the dead bodies that lay beside him.

He couldn't even begin to see how this girl could possibly be of any help to them, let alone be one of the most powerful beings on Earth. But orders were orders, so he simply shrugged to himself and picked her up in order to carry her off with him back to Hueco Mundo.

_**...Now the fun begins :D...**_


	3. Waking Up

**_Soo there is probably a lot of typos in this, but I swear I will eventually go back and edit it..._**

**_Anyways, I don't really know yet if I like how this turned out. I am having a difficulty writing Aizen and Ulquiorra, I have not watched bleach in forever so I am going off of what I remember. I will go back and rewatch bleach though so that I can get better at this, I promise!:3  
_**

**_Enjoy~!_**

Chapter Three:

_Green eyes… Green tears… Pale skin… Black lips… White coat…bone mask…hole…death…_

Those images were the only thing that ran through Nicole's head as she slowly began to come to. She let out a small groan as she came into consciousness, and all of the pain that laid dormant while she was sleeping suddenly rushed back to her mind. There was a crippling ache that pulsated all throughout her body, making her wish that she could fall back into a deep slumber. However, now that she was awake, the pain kept nipping at her and would not let her fall back into unconsciousness.

It took her another moment to open her eyes, and to her surprise, she was not blinded by sunlight. She blinked a few times, attempting to rid herself of the groggy feeling she had. Her eyes finally came into focus, only to view a plain white ceiling above her.

_Where am I?_

At that moment, she finally registered that whatever she was laying on was very comfortable. Was it a mattress?

After another few seconds, she cautiously sat up, and looked around, taking in her surroundings. Confusion took over as she discovered that she was in a plain white room, which strangely reminded her of some sort of prison cell that a crazy person would be locked up in. There was literally nothing in the room, besides the bed, and everything that was in there was predominately white, with little hints of black here and there to highlight it.

_Did they actually manage to capture me? Is this their version of prison? Am I locked up?_

That thought was quickly shoved back down when the image of blank, emotionless, emerald green eyes flashed through her mind. She reached up to clutch her chest as her newly developing anxiety tightened its hold on her lungs. The area below her breasts ached as the constricting feeling strangled the breath out of her.

Her train of thought ran aimlessly, clustered by her panicked and scattered thinking. Those thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she heard the opening of a door. A bright light streamed into the room, causing the shadows to instantly vanish. Nicole jumped in reaction, her eyes bolted towards the opened door, causing her to wince as the brightness penetrated her unprepared vision. It took only a matter of seconds for her pupils to adjust, and once they did, she could see him. The man that she associated with death stood in the entry way to the room. Utter terror rippled through her body, but regardless she tried to conceal that fear by forcing a look of fake confidence.

Ulquiorra had been able to sense that the captive had awoken, so he made his way to the room that had been dedicated strictly for her. He opened the door and stood within the threshold, not surprised to see the blonde headed girl become jumpy at his unannounced presence. He watched as the fear rose to her oceanic blue eyes, and then noticed as she tried to force that fear back down and replace it with a look of defiance. However he was not fooled, he could still smell the pungent scent of her fright.

He stepped in to enter the boundaries of the room; he stopped just a few feet away from her bed. Nicole subconsciously pulled her knees up to her chest in an attempt to distance herself from him. Mind you, she failed. "You need to get up and dressed, my Lord wishes to meet you." The raven haired man's voice came out low in volume and deep in pitch.

Nicole's brows knitted together in confusion. _What the hell have I gotten myself into?_ She silently wondered. She did not have much time to ponder over the thought; he continued to speak in that same monotone voice, "You have wasted much time with your resting. Hurry up and choose an outfit, then I shall escort you to the showers."

Nicole kept her eyes locked with his, suddenly felt the adrenaline pumping though her veins. Her body felt like it would combust at any moment, and she mistook the sensation to be a surge of demonic power that had resurfaced. Momentarily forgetting about her weakened state, she forced herself out of the bed and struck the Arrancar in the face with as much might that she could muster. Her eyes grew wide at the realization of how little of an effect her hit had. He still remained standing before her, he had barely even budged.

He had to admit that he was shocked when she had tried to strike his face, but knowing that her efforts to harm him were futile, he let her land the hit. The sudden connection of her bare knuckles against his pale cheek was barely enough to force his head to turn. He shifted his blank stare back to her just in time to witness the panic surface one more.

Nicole refused to give up just yet, she rose her foot up high and landed a direct kick on his chest, but he still remained unfazed. An unexpected sharp pain shot up her tibia. She yelped and fell backwards onto the ground, clutching her injured lower leg, glaring daggers at him from beneath her dark lashes, silently cursing him.

Ulquiorra watched in annoyance as Nicole once more tried to hurt him, which only resulted in the girl causing herself pain. She scowled up at him once she had fallen over, only aggravating him further. In one quick movement, he had grasped her by the throat and had her dangling above the ground with one arm. "I said to pick out an outfit." He said coldly, his voice never once fluctuating with any sort of emotion. "You are wasting my time."

Immediate panic pulsated through her body when she felt this hand constrict her throat, and yanked her up into the air. Her fragile hands automatically reached up in a pathetic attempt to try clawing off his hand, but his iron grasp never once eased. She frantically gasped for air; her legs began to wildly kick at him while he spoke. She felt herself becoming light headed as black spots entered her vision. "Let _go!_" She managed to choke out.

He let go, as if on command, and dropped her back on the ground. She hit the tile beneath her with a loud thud, and found herself absentmindedly groping at her throat as if she were still trying to free herself.

Ulquiorra suppressed the urge to roll his eyes in disgust and irritation before he sauntered over to the closet and pulled out a black and white uniform that somewhat matched his. It was common Arrancar attire; it suited the rest of the place perfectly. He tossed the outfit at her, the fabric landed in her lap. Her breathing was still labored; she looked up at him with wide eyes. She had no idea what was going on. She faintly grasped the material of the clothing that was resting on her lap, too startled to comprehend anything.

It only took a matter of seconds for Ulquiorra to once again lose his patience with her and grab her by the bicep and force her up onto her feet. "Let's go Onna." He ordered plainly. There was no choice for her but to do as he said, so she relented and reluctantly followed him out of the room and down the halls.

The hallways were all white too, she noticed. The ceiling was excessively high, and the pathway was somewhat narrow. Her cobalt eyes aimlessly wandered the walls, trying to take in every detail even though there was not much to take in. Everything was too plain, it almost disturbed her. The man before her abruptly stopped at a door that was to their right and reached out for the handle. He effortlessly pushed open the rather large door before replacing his hands back into his coats pockets, and then he stepped aside so that she may enter first.

She hesitated for a minute, inching closer to the door way so that she could peer inside. It was a vacant bathroom, or at least appeared to be. She cautiously wondered inside, glancing in all directions as she did so. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the door slam behind her. She pivoted on her heels to see that the ink haired man had entered the room along with her, closing the door behind him. He stared at her with blank eyes.

Nicole glanced back at the shower behind her, then back at him. "Uhm… Aren't you going to leave?" She asked with an undertone of a demand clearly lingering in her voice. She raised her eyebrows in a sarcastic sense of annoyance.

"No." He stated simply but firmly.

Nicole grumbled under her breath before stepping over to the shower and turning the knobs so that the water would begin to stream down from the shower head. She gently set down the white clothing that she was expected to wear after cleansing herself onto the floor next to the shower in a neatly folded pile before she reached over with her hand, briefly testing the waters warmth. She turned to take one last glance at Ulquiorra before she grabbed the edge of her shirt and pulled it over her head. She unexpectedly flung the material at him, making sure that it hit his face and blocked his view for just a split second. "Enjoy your view, asshole." She grumbled.

Ulquiorra had not expected her to toss her shirt at him, but he didn't bother to move when she did. Instead he let the fabric lightly touch him then fall to the ground in a heap. He had meant to stare with uncurious eyes while the woman before him undressed, but he found that to be nearly impossible. She stripped off her shorts next, further revealing her long slender legs. Her frame was unnaturally perfect, no ounce of undesirable fat present on her body. He stared in awe, his eyes wandered over her flawless flesh. He became distracted when he caught glimpse of black markings that were tattooed onto her upper back and shoulder blades.

Nicole stopped undressing once she was only in her panties and bra. She glanced back at the Arrancar behind her and decided to keep her undergarments on, regardless to the fact that they would get soaked. She did not feel like he deserved to see any more than what he already had. She stepped into the shower, shivering as the warm water caressed every inch of her body. Forgetting that he was there, she turned her face towards the faucet, letting the clear liquid spray on her face and sooth all of her aching muscles.

"Onna?" She grunted when she heard him talk to her, "What is that mark?" He asked, though somehow managed to not sound at all curious even though he was questioning her. She tilted her head back slightly so that the water was not directly hitting her in the face and glanced at him from the corner of her eyes.

She could see him staring at the tattoo that resided on her shoulder blades. She shrugged to herself and resealed her eyes, continuing her shower while speaking in an indifferent voice. "I was born with it. All people with Tenshi blood supposedly have these markings." She turned slightly so that he could get a better view of her back. She ran her hand underneath the bottom layer of her silky black hair and pulled it up to reveal the small portions that it was covering of the tattoo. He examined it more closely; this time noticing that it was in a pattern that resembled that of wings. She shrugged once more before dropping her hair back down and going back to enjoying the water's warmth. "They never really cared to explain why we have these markings. Or if they did, I never cared much to listen." She said, a small smirk tugged at her lips but quickly faded.

She found the bottle of shampoo and conditioner and quickly finished cleansing herself before turning the knobs back so that the flow of water would halt. She glared at the man who was still keeping a close eye on her. "Turn around." She demanded.

"No." He responded once more.

She gave him a vehement glare. A continuous string of swears flowed from her mouth as she snatched up a nearby towel and wrapped it around herself before bending over to grab the white uniform. "Turn around or else."

He raised his eyebrows with curiosity, almost slightly amused that she would attempt threatening him. "Or else what?" He replied, still very little emotion detected in his voice.

"Well, or else I simply will not get dressed. I will just sit here like this." She told him, puffing out her chest while folding her arms over her breasts.

He glanced down at the uniform that dangled from her hands loosely as she did so. "Cloth yourself before I do it for you." He threatened coldly, his eyes narrowing at her.

"Try clothing me and I will gouge out your eyeballs with a fork later on." She never wavered at his threats, which he was finding quite strange due to her previous reactions to him.

Nicole had no idea where this sudden attitude was coming from. She just had suddenly stopped feeling the need to be afraid. He obviously had not been allowed to kill her, because he said his Lord had wished to meet her. Maybe that was why she was so unfazed by him right now, because she felt that she had immunity. He appeared before her within an instant, which was rewarded by a startled gasp from Nicole. "Stop testing my patience Onna." He warned her, his deep emerald eyes smoldering her.

She returned his scorching look with one of disdain. "It's a simple request, really. Just turn away, for two damned seconds, and this will all be taken care of." It was a silly argument really, one that could be easily resolved, but both of them were used to having dominance and not having to respond to very many superiors, so neither one of them were willing to back down so easily.

They remained like that for some time, giving each other heated glares, only a matter of inches away from one another, before he finally reached his edge and actually yanked the uniform from her hands and tore off her towel and damp undergarments. She yelped in surprise, shocked that he would actually follow through with his threat, but before she could further protest, she found herself already dressed in a black and white three piece uniform that synced with his. She glanced down at herself with large eyes, only looking back up in time to see the tails of his coat turn around the corner of the doorway. "Hurry up Onna." She heard him from a distant.

Ulquiorra was slightly annoyed that she had managed to push him to follow through with his threat. He had not expected her to start rebelling like that. He brushed the thought off, just figuring that he would have to break her and make her recognize him as the alpha. He nearly shuddered when he recalled the look of defiance that she held in her blue eyes. It intrigued him to a degree, though he would never admit it. He had ordered her to follow him once he had left the room, and he wondered to himself if she would dare defy him again, but he felt a small sense of satisfaction when he heard her fragile feet padding over the ground behind him.

He led her down the halls, passing several doors and vacant rooms before they finally came to a stop in front of one overly sized pair of white doors. Nicole did a double take of the entrance, her curious eyes wandering up the entire height of it._ Someone likes to flaunt…_ She thought with sarcasm.

Ulquiorra shoved aside the gigantic doors, making a passage way for the two of them. He let her pass through before him. Nicole shot him one last dirty look before passing by and into the room. She found the room to be too bright. Her pupils immediately shrunk in size, adjusting so that she could properly see. "Good afternoon Nicole, it's nice to see that you have finally woken up." A tenor male voice spoke out, alarming Nicole.

She glanced to what appeared to be a throne placed near the back of the room. In it sat a brown haired man that stared back at her with seemingly gentle brown eyes. Though he looked at her with such convincing kindness, Nicole couldn't help but to feel as if her skin were crawling. Her instinct was telling her that this man was not one that she would want to befriend. "Who are you?" She spoke out bluntly.

Aizen stared at Nicole with what appeared to be genuine kindness, but faking things like that were his specialty. He gave a light chuckle and her rude reply. He stood from his throne and made his way over to her. "I apologize, I failed to introduce myself. My name is Sosuke Aizen, but you may simply call me Aizen." He offered her a smile, but she did not give the respond he had wished for.

"How do you know who I am?" She questioned bluntly, not one to stray away from the point.

Aizen's smile never once fell as he calmly explained, "I have done my fair share of research on your kind, and I find them to be quiet fascinating." He told her. She felt herself relax slightly at his answer. "I had also heard about the execution squad being sent after you. I thought it would be a shame if a creature as exquisite as you were to be killed, so I had assigned my top Espada to make sure that no harm would ever come to you." Both Aizen and Nicole glanced back at Ulquiorra before he continued, "Unfortunately he did not arrive in time to keep you from being purified, but at least he had come in time to keep you alive."

Nicole looked at Aizen with mistrust and obvious doubt. "Oh?" She did not find the words to say much of anything else. She was too busy examining further into his explanation of things.

"From search, I understand that it is possible for you to regain all of your strength?"

She looked back at him to search his eyes for any indication of what he was really trying to do. He was a master of disguising emotions though, so she found nothing there. "Yes. It is." She told him simply, her scrutinizing stare never once shifting away from him.

"Excellent," He replied with a nod of approval. "Then by all means, please remain with us for a while longer while your strength recovers. We will provide you with protection, and all of the things that you require while you are in recovery."

Nicole's eyes narrowed, she found it strange for someone she had never met to be so overly willing to assist her. "Why would you do that?"

Aizen offered her another one of his kind smiles. "Like I said, I think it would really be a shame for something to happen to you. I believe that someone as unique as you should be allowed to survive."

Nicole contemplated her options for a second. She did not trust him at all; however the offer he made was too good to pass up. _I will regain my strength, then immediately leave_, she decided. "I accept your offer then," She agreed.

"Good!" Aizen exclaimed with obvious joy. He looked back at Ulquiorra before adding, "I would tend to all of your needs myself, but I am a very busy person… So I will leave it up to Ulquiorra to care for you. Is that alright?"

Nicole glanced back at the Arrancar as well. A small smirk playing on her lips as mischievous thoughts clouded her mind. "Oh _yes_, that will do just fine. But just to clarify, that means he will have to do some things that I wish for, correct?" A devilish glint gleamed in her eyes.

"Yes, I suppose so."

An involuntary snicker made its way passed her lips. She took another moment to plot in her mind before becoming more serious once more and turning back to Aizen. "You _are_ aware of what I require to regain my demonic abilities, right?" She questioned wearily.

"You need to feed off of blood and the life force of others, am I correct? From the research that I have done, I have found that most Youkai seemed to need to feed off of other people's life force and energy in order to maintain their own abilities. I assume that it is the same for you?" He answered.

Nicole nodded slightly, finding it a bit concerning that he did indeed seem to know a lot about her and her kind. "That is indeed correct…"

"Then I will have a servant bring you what you need to your room every few hours."

She nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

He dismissed her and Ulquiorra soon after that, letting them wander back down the hall to the room where she originally woke up in. She struggled to keep up with Ulquiorra's long strides, but once she was by his side, she gave him a devious grin and said, "Well now… isn't it interesting to know that you are practically my bitch for my stay here." Her voice sounded intrigued, but her eyes held a mocking look in them.

He internally sighed and kept his eyes forward. He did not at all like the way that she was staring at him in the slightest bit…

**_Tell me what you think?(:_**


	4. Boredom

**_So fourth Chapter Guys :3 Hopefully you like it!_**

Chapter Four: Boredom…

Nicole found herself alone in the room that she had originally woken up in once again. Ulquiorra had dropped her off and had left in a hurry, claiming that he had others things to tend to and that she should stay put until he returned. She stared up at the blank ceiling while lying on the bed's mattress, thinking things over.

Her head told her that something was off, but her instincts reassured her that she was not in any immediate danger. She let out a dramatic sigh. Maybe it was genuine kindness. Maybe she was just overly paranoid. That was highly possible since she was not used to such hospitality. The concept of such kindness was foreign to her.

She was brought back to reality when the door opened, revealing one of the Arrancar servants. They entered the room, pushing a cart that was stocked with bottles of blood. Nicole shoved herself off of the bed and snatched up one of the containers. She eyed it cautiously before unscrewing the cap and sniffing it. She shivered in delight when the rustic scent tickled her nose. Without any further hesitation, she brought the bottle to her lips and greedily chugged its continents. Goosebumps traveled up her skins surface as she enjoyed the sinful taste that lingered on her tongue. The thick liquid coated her throat, quenching the aching thirst that had been haunting her.

She tossed the empty bottle aside before quickly grabbing another and emptying it with an equal speed. Her teeth slowly reverted back into fangs, but after devouring a couple gallons of the deep red liquid, that was the only demonic trait of hers that had returned. She frowned, carelessly throwing the last container back onto the cart. The servant pulled at the cart, trying to flee from the room the second that Nicole was done with her 'meal'.

"Wait," Nicole said suddenly, stopping the servant from making any further movement. Nicole stepped closer, glancing over the white coated man with interested eyes. "The blood was cold," she told him, stopping when they were only inches apart. She smiled, her pearly white canines peaking over the edge of her reddened lips. "Cold blood isn't as satisfying. I want it warm and fresh from the vein."

She had already latched herself onto his neck the instant that she had finished speaking. Her fangs sunk into his flesh, puncturing his vein with ease. Her mouth flooded with blood. She was surprised that the servant never once struggled against her. After a few satisfying gulps, she released her hold on him. The scarlet liquid continued to spill from the wound.

Nicole furrowed her eyebrows as the servant remained still. He simply stared back at her with dead eyes. _That's just strange…_ From the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of the end tails of a white coat passing by her open doorway. Immediately recognizing that the coat tails belonged to none other than Ulquiorra, Nicole shoved the servant aside and trotted off after the pale Espada.

Ulquiorra eyed Nicole and the servant carefully, wordlessly observing their interactions. He watched as the girl fed off of the other Arrancar. He continued his way down the vacant hall as soon as he lost interest. Soon after he had carried on, he heard Nicole rush out of her room to follow him. "_Ulquiorra_," Nicole purred out with a sly smile plastered on her lips. She paused in order to give him a chance to respond, but continued shortly after when he did not. "I'm bored." She stated 'matter-of-factly'. She spun on her toes, twirling around him, only stopping once she was standing directly in front of him.

He stopped his pace to avoid bumping into her. He stared down at her with cold eyes. "And?" He inquired, though he did not truly desire for her to elaborate.

"Sooo, you should take me for a walk around the palace." She suggested with that same manipulative smile upon her face. He did not respond with a verbal answer, he just stepped around her and continued with a steady stride down the path. Noticing that he technically never objected to the idea, Nicole grinned with satisfaction and skipped off after him.

An awkward silence quickly formed between them, making Nicole feel uncomfortable. "It is a really nice palace." Nicole offered the compliment as a way to get a conversation going. It did not work, there was no reply. She tried again, "So where is your room Ulquiorra?" There was still no answer. She huffed in defeat before grumbling, "Being around you is just as boring as being alone in that room."

He had no clue why she was attempting to make pointless small talk with him. He focused on his walking rather than on her constant yammering. She had not been here for much more than a day and she was already getting on his nerves.

Nicole's head perked when she noticed the voices that were not far off. There was a large entrance with overly sized doors, much like the ones that Nicole had seen before when on her way to meet Aizen, but slightly different. The doors were cracked opened just enough for the voices from inside to escape out into the halls. Curiosity got the best of her, Nicole slowed into a stop once she was near the parted doors. She peaked inside to view the small gathering that consisted of Lord Aizen and a handful of Arrancar (each of them were one of the Espada; the only one not currently present was Ulquiorra). She strained her ears to eavesdrop on the secretive discussion.

"I plan to have Ulquiorra go to retrieve Orihime Inoue…" The words became a blur as Nicole almost instantly lost all interest in whatever topic they were conversing. Her eyes were drawn to one of the Espada members, and her attention quickly followed.

She stared at a blue haired Arrancar in wonder. His spiked shock blue hair matched the hue of his eyes, and his angular face was partially covered by a bone mask fragment that was located over his lower jaw and cheek. He had a more muscular build than Ulquiorra, and he was definitely taller as well. However, none of that was what held her gaze. What made her stare was the fact that he only had one arm, and that there was a rather large scar that resided on his chest and abdominal region.

She could tell by simply looking at him that he was a fighter, and a strong one at that. That only made her curiosity grow as she wondered who had inflicted those injuries.

Ulquiorra sensed the cease of movement from behind him when Nicole stopped to listen in on Aizen's meeting with the Espadas. He was about to tell her that eavesdropping was rude when she spoke up, which surprised him. "What happened to his arm?"

He automatically knew that she was referring to Grimmjow. "You can call that the consequence of his insolence." He answered bluntly.

Nicole leaned back, distancing herself away from the entryway to the room and glanced back at Ulquiorra with uncertainty. "What did he do?" She knew that she was prying, but she was still curious and could not resist.

"What is none of your concern. It is rude to linger, Onna. Let's go." He told her coolly. Much to his surprise, she did not argue or defy him in any way. She spared one last glance at the blue haired man before following after Ulquiorra.

~*~

**_Okay!:3 So I have finally decided to add Grimmjow in the story. Originally I wasn't planning to make him important to my fanfic, buuuut…. I adore him!. So he stays!_**

**_Anyways, review please3_**

**_Thank you~!_**


	5. Trouble Makers

**_I had meant to post this awhile ago.. sorry! .o. Enjoy!~_**

Chapter Five: Trouble Makers 3

Ulquiorra had left again. Aizen had assigned him to a mission. The first thing he had told Nicole before he left was "stay put in your room". So naturally she had left her room. She wandered down the halls of the palace by herself, glancing around with brilliant eyes. She wanted to find that blue haired man. She was still interested as to what happened to him.

As if he had heard her silent wishes, Grimmjow had walked out into the hall before her. Her eyes lit up almost immediately. "Hey!" She called out to him, picking up her pace to a light jog. She easily caught up with him and slowed back into a moderate pace once she was by his side. "What's your name?"

He gave her a harsh glare. "Go away." He told her. He stepped back into the safety of his room and slammed the door shut. She remained in the hallway, stunned by his total lack of communication. She hesitated before reaching out for the door now and pushing it open. She peeked inside of the room to see him grumpily sitting on his bed. He picked up his head to glare at her again. "I don't recall inviting you in." He stated flatly.

"Tell me your name." She repeated, this time it came out as more of a demand.

His blue eyes fixated on her. "It's Grimmjow. Now get out."

Despite sensing his scorching hatred, she explored her way further into his room, also taking a seat at the edge of his bed next to him. "What happened to your arm?" She pressed.

Grimmjow felt the urge to strike her across the face. He had a strong distaste for her forwardness. "It's none of your business." He hissed through clenched teeth.

She noted that this was a touchy subject for him. "I'm guessing it was cut off." She concluded. She was staring at him with overly observant eyes. "I'm assuming you lost it because you are weak."

At that moment he stopped resisting the urge to hit her and back handed her across the face. He struck her with such a tremendous amount of force that she was knocked off of the bed and landed hard on the floor. There was a loud crack heard when her skull smacked against the ground.

Nicole groaned as heat rushed to her right cheek, exactly in the spot where he had just slapped her. She propped herself up on one arm and used her free hand to rub the pain inflicted area. A deep purple bruise was already starting to form, and she could feel the lukewarm dampness from the crimson liquid that dripped from the newly formed scratch that rested over her cheekbone. She absentmindedly tried wiping off the blood, which only resulted in smearing it in the process.

After failing to clean that wound, she focused on the throbbing that resided in the back of her head. She reached up to cradle the side of her head that had crashed into the ground. To her surprise, the spot was not bleeding. However, there was a firm bump forming in that place. She winced when her fingers brushed over the sore bump.

"Ow." She murmured. She pulled away her hand to use both arms to shove herself off of the ground. She stumbled at first when the dizziness hit her, but eventually she caught her balance. Grimmjow continued to stare at her, slightly shocked that she was not knocked out cold. "Well wasn't that cute." She commented with bitter sarcasm.

He rolled his eyes and stood up once more, walking back out the door. On his way to the exit, he stopped by her for a brief second to tell her, "You're lucky that I can't kill you."

Refusing to take the hint, she still followed after him. She matched his pace, equaling his strides. "Aw come on, don't pout like that. I wasn't serious." She offered him a friendly smile, but it quickly faded back into a frown when the straining of her smile caused a dull ache due to her forming bruise.

He glared at her out of annoyance more than anything. "I'm not pouting." He barked out. He had subconsciously picked up his pace, trying to lose her.

she applied an equivalent amount of speed to his steps, making an effort to keep up with him. "Really?" She leaned in closer and squinted her eyes, giving the impression that she was closely examining his facial expressions. "Because you look like you're pouting."

"Don't you have something better to do, you brain damaged nit wit?" He growled out at her, openly expressing his aggression.

She sulked slightly, but chose to mostly ignore his insult instead of dwelling on it. "No," she pouted, "Ulquiorra left and had told me to not leave my room…" She attempted to smile once more, only succeeding for a small amount of time until the pain nipped at her. "So naturally, I left the room."

A sly smile spread across Grimmjow's handsome face. "Oh really?"

**_Oh shit... The two biggest trouble makers unite! Till next time~!_**

**_Please Review!_**


	6. Exploring Hueco Mundo

**_Mergergerg... I don't know what to say... Review? Enjoy~_**

Chapter Six: Exploring Hueco Mundo

A harsh wind blew, tossing around the sand of the desert terrain. The barren land was void of any plant life for as far as Nicole's eyes could see, though her vision was cut short by the lack of sunlight. A sliver of moon hung low in the starless sky, its light caressed the hills and slopes of the distant landscape, highlighting them with a silver glow. The chilled air made Nicole shiver, causing goose bumps to form upon her skin.

She was subconsciously hugging herself, attempting to trap her body heat and keep herself warm. Grimmjow had seemed to immediately change his attitude once she had informed him that she was defying Ulquiorra. He had taken her out of the palace, into the unknown territory of Hueco Mundo. "So tell me," Grimmjow spoke up from beside her, startling Nicole, "What's the difference between your kind and ours?"

Nicole glanced over at the blue haired man, "You mean between Youkai and Hollows?" She assumed.

"Something like that." He answered with a brief nod of his head.

She contemplated the consequences of telling him such information. "Why do you ask?" She eventually wondered.

He carelessly shrugged. "So I know how much power I need to kill one of your kind." He told her plainly.

Nicole had to resist the urge to laugh at his words. She was sure that it was highly unlikely for him to be able to actually kill many of her kind. "Well, I suppose Youkai's differ from Hollows because they are more evolved, both emotionally and physically. Youkai have enhanced senses. Our sense of touch, taste, hearing, sight and smell are all highly improved. Which as an end result, gives us an advantage in hunting or tracking.

"On top of that, our reflexes are generally quicker. We are simply built to be faster and stronger. Our muscles are developed in such a way that allows us to endure more and obtain more strength." She paused, thinking over her next words carefully. "Then emotionally, we are greater because we have developed moral and honor codes, and we value certain emotions. Which is why we have no hollow hole and mask… We have gotten beyond that."

He absorbed all of what she said, not interrupting her once while she explained. "And what about your spiritual energy? Why are the Shinigami unable to purify you?"

"Our energy became twisted. It's not just 'dark' spirit energy anymore, it's something entirely different. Our energy morphed into something more dangerous, purely demonic."

"What about those other guys? How come they can purify you so easily?" He questioned curiously.

Nicole frowned. "The Tenshi?" He nodded in reply. "Well they evolved too. Like we evolved from Hollows, they originated as Shinigami, but became something more. I suppose you can say that it was the universe's way of balancing things out. Their powers have adapted to counter a Youkai's, but as an end result, since their energy has alter as well, they lost the ability to purify Hollows. They can only purify demonic energy, not dark spirit energy… If that makes sense."

Grimmjow let out an absurd scoff. "Sounds pathetic." He commented in disgust.

Nicole shrugged. "I suppose." She skipped around the desert, twirling around on her toes in a graceful ballerina dance.

"One more question."

"Hmmm?" She paused in mid twirl, glancing back at him with her glittering eyes.

"I heard that you drink blood. What's up with that?" He wondered aloud.

Nicole gave a small shrug of her shoulders. "Some Youkai need it to maintain their full powers. It's not just the blood we crave, it's the energy and life force. Sometimes we even eat the flesh and soul as well. That does not apply to all Youkai though…only a certain few. For example, my bloodline has to feed off of other life energies in order to strengthen their own demonic force. Other Youkai just don't have the same ability. They always are at the same level of strength, and they are unable to increase it like we are. I suppose you can relate it to how Hollows feed off of human souls. Also like Hollows, the greater amount of energy the person that we consume has, the longer their life force sustains and satisfies us. All the same, when I drink blood and absorb the life force that comes along with it, I slowly recover my demonic energy. The greater the energy that I intake, the faster I heal from my…_purification._" She said, her voice becoming dark at the last word. Obvious disgust tinged that forsaken word.

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, I hope that you're hungry then."

"What?" She asked, caught off guard by his last statement. She pivoted to face him, but he was no longer there. He had already distanced himself from her, standing a far as he watched her closely. Realization came to her quickly when a shrill Hollow's cry suddenly came from behind her.

She then became very aware of the disturbed presence that was lingering behind her. Her eyes fell wide and the adrenalin immediately began to rush throughout her body. She made a sharp turn on her heel, taking a quick glance of the monster before bolting back towards the palace where she knew that she would be safe. _Stupid sluggish body!_ She silently cursed, desperately wishing for the return of her demonic speed. A deformed tentacle wrapped itself around her ankle, knocking her off of her feet and jerking her up into the air.

The masked creature dangled Nicole above its head. Nicole stared down at the bone-faced figure. His slimy green body resembled a disfigured octopus. Nicole knew that fighting against its hold on her while she was in her current state was pointless. _I can't even defeat harmless small fry like this…Pathetic! _She thought bitterly.

Nicole glanced over at Grimmjow. He just continued to watch her with amusement. "Aren't you going to _help?_" She snapped angrily. She could feel the pressure in her temples as the blood all rushed to her head.

Grimmjow shrugged and gave her a sharp toothed grin. "You said that Youkai were stronger, and I heard from Lord Aizen that you bizarre half-breeds have the potential to become even stronger than that. So prove it little Hanyou girl!"

Nicole growled in frustration. She began to struggle against the Hollow. She jerked and kicked her legs, attempting to break free, but her wild movements only wound up making her feel dizzy. Just as she had previously thought, her rebellion was futile. Eventually she gave up and stared at her blue haired companion in annoyance. "Grimmjow, you're going to get into so much trouble if I die…" She threatened as a last resort.

He offered her an entertained smile in return and gave another careless shrug of his shoulders. "Oh well."

Ulquiorra was highly annoyed. He had arrived back at the palace, returning from his mission to retrieve Orihime, when he discovered that his other captive was missing. A glimmer of panic surfaced when he was not able to sense her anywhere inside of the building, but he quickly realized that she was still in Hueco Mundo, and he was able to pin point her exact location.

After a moment, he recognized her aura out in the desert planes of Hueco Mundo. He became even more agitated when he detected Grimmjow's reiatsu near her. Then he felt another presence of a Hollow hurriedly closing in on them. Nicole's aura suddenly radiated off panic, which was enough for Ulquiorra to act. He quickly locked Orihime in a vacant room before taking off to find that defiant half-breed.

It had taken him only a matter of seconds to sonido his way over to the two. He arrived within hearing range just in time to catch a few exchanged words. "You said that Youkai were stronger- so prove it little Hanyou girl!"

"Grimmjow, you are going to get into so much trouble if I die." Without any hesitation, Ulquiorra had charged a cero on his finger tips and fired it at the tentacle Hollow that was dangling Nicole by her ankle in mid- air. The vile creature instantly evaporated into thin air, no remains were left.

Nicole had not even seen as Ulquiorra suddenly materialized near them; she had only caught her first glimpse of his arrival when he was already slaying the creature that was attacking her. She watched with wide eyes as the Arrancar's spirit energy effortlessly overwhelmed the masked fiend and reverted him into dust.

A loud gasp escaped her lips when the limb that was keeping her suspended above the ground disappeared. She dropped to the sand beneath her without any grace. She landed in an awkward sprawl, the uncomfortable position earned a pain stricken yelp from the black haired beauty. "Ow…" She grumbled to herself. "No, don't catch me, I'm just fine…" She muttered with dripping sarcasm.

Ulquiorra was glaring at the two troublemakers, his hateful stare switching between the two of them every few seconds. Deep emerald eyes settled on Nicole as he decided to focus his anger on her. "I told you not to leave the room." His tone was dark, and a lot more lethal than usual.

Nicole recoiled at hearing the cruelty in his voice. Before she could manage to stand on her own, he had grabbed her by the bicep with his hand and yanked her to her feet. She whimpered, feeling like his iron grip might crush her bone at any minute.

"Aw, you always kill all of the fun!" Grimmjow complained from a distance. His absurd comment earned him a dark glare from Espada Cuatro.

"Trash." Ulquiorra muttered under his breath before forcefully dragging Nicole off back to the palace.


	7. Dinner Conversations?

**_Well here is Chapter Seven... Hope you like it :p review please!_**

Chapter Seven:

In the process of dragging the disobedient girl back to her room, Ulquiorra's anger did not waver even for a single moment. Once they were back to the room where Nicole was meant to remain in, he finally released his restricting grip on her. Nicole stumbled, almost collapsing to the floor. She peeked up in time only to see the furious glare that still linger. She immediately shrunk away from him.

"How am I supposed to keep you safe if you will not stay where I tell you to, Onna?" He asked in his usually deep voice with no sign of any positive emotion present.

She was taken by surprise at his question. She blinked a few times as if it took a minute for his question to register in her mind. "Well I'm safe now." She replied stupidly.

He stared at her with blank emerald eyes. "You were almost killed." He commented plainly.

"And you saved me, so you are doing excellent at your job!" She exclaimed with sarcastic enthusiasm. He did not reply to her, though she wasn't sure if his lack of response was simply because he did not understand, not because he was seriously doubting her intelligence at the moment. "Look Ulquiorra, staying locked up in a box all day just isn't my style. I _have_ to go out and do something. Besides, a good portion of this is your fault. I wouldn't have to go sneaking around if you didn't leave me cooped up in a room all day. You could at least visit me more often and take me out to wander. Like Grimmjow- except don't let me get eaten by Hollow scum."

_My fault? _He though in disbelief, but as a master of concealing all unwanted expressions, he remained to appear unfazed by her speech. "This time, you stay." He finally said before abruptly turning on his heels and leaving the room. Before Nicole had a chance to react, the door had already slammed shut behind the retreating Arrancar.

She made her way to the door. "Ulquiorra!" She cried out in desperation. She pressed her ear to the door and listened as his footsteps became fainter with distance. "You are a terrible care taker!" She shouted after him. Even if he had heard her, there was no answer, though she had not exactly expected one.

It did not take long for her to be overcome by boredom. She sunk back to the bed and fell face first into the pillow. A few minutes later, she was already sulking due to the lack of something to do.

Much later, that was exactly how Gin found her. The silver haired ex-shinigami entered the room to see Nicole with her face buried into the white fluff of the pillow. Nicole's ears perked at the sound of the door creaking open. She jolted up to catch view of who stood in the threshold of her room. Disappointment quickly consumed her once she realized it was not Ulquiorra or Grimmjow. She raised an eyebrow at Gin. "What is it now?"

The silvered haired male gave her a sly grin. "Lord Aizen had invited you to join him and the Espada for dinner." He told her. She perked up with interest. "Do you care to join them?"

She thought over this offer. _Why not? It's something to do._ "Sure." She decided, trying not to sound too overly excited. She had risen from her bed immediately after replying. The silver haired ex-shinigami gave her another snake-like smile before stepping to the side, allowing Nicole to pass through the doorway. She cautiously walked by him, only stopping to wait for him to take lead. Once he did so, she followed him, but made sure to keep a secure distance between the two of them just in case. She did not take the same liking to him that she did to Espada Cuatro and Espada Sexta.

It did not take long for them to reach their designation. Nicole recognized the obscenely oversized twin doors that Gin shoved aside in order to grant her passage. She hesitantly sauntered into the room. She recognized the room easily; it was the same place where she had first spotted Grimmjow during the last Espada meeting. There was an elongated table in the center of the room, just like before, with each high ranking Arrancar placed in an assigned chair, then at the end of the table sat Aizen.

Nicole noticed an empty seat beside Aizen, which she assumed to be meant for her. Her assumption was proven correct when Aizen gestured for her to come join him with a lazy motion of his hand. Nicole complied, carefully making her way over to the empty chair. Once she took her seat, she glanced around at all of the faces among the room. A weary sensation passed over her when she realized that everyone's eyes were rested upon her. She shrunk back into her cushioned chair, feeling slightly uncomfortable. She was slightly distracted from her discomfort when she saw a familiar pair of emerald orbs staring at her. _He couldn't come get me himself?_ A spark flared within her; she straightened her posture to appear less skittish.

"My dearest Nicole, what has happened to your precious face?" She was startled by the sound of Aizen's voice. He had reached out to gently brush his fingertips across the deep violet bruise and blood cut that rested over her cheekbone. She grimaced at the contact, causing Aizen to retract his hand. She blinked a few times, not comprehending where the soreness was coming from for a few seconds. To be completely honest, she had actually forgotten about the injury that she had received from Grimmjow until now.

"Oh, uhm…" She glanced at Aizen, but then searched the room for the blue haired Espada.

Grimmjow found himself holding his breath as Aizen asked about Nicole's bruise and actually seemed somewhat concerned. _Shit._ He thought, realizing that he may have misjudged the entire situation. A small chill passed through him when Nicole turned her eyes to seek him out. When she spotted him, he was almost certain that he was doomed. Her cobalt blue orbs held their gaze on him for a small while. "Oh, uhm…I guess I just fell or something. I had actually forgotten all about it until now!" Her oceanic eyes shifted back to Aizen. Grimmjow let out his held breath. He was in shock that she had lied for him.

Nicole had easily spotted the blue haired man. She took notice to the fact that the Arrancar now had both arms returned to him. She decided that she would ask him about that later. She watched as a skeptical look became obvious on Aizen's face as she lied to him. "You fell?" He repeated questioningly. He reexamined the wound before adding, "I would think it would require much more than a fall to manage to obtain a bruise such as that."

Nicole shrugged her shoulders. "Well that is what happened. I am not always as graceful as people assume me to be." She eyed Grimmjow from the corner of her eyes. "Plus, the tile flooring here is very _hard_, and very_ painful_ to fall upon." She spoke with great emphasizes on those to words, hoping to install some sort of guilt within Grimmjow. Her attempts clearly failed, he simply rolled his turquoise eyes at her.

"Well perhaps I should have your room carpeted then." Aizen concluded, deciding not the press the subject any further. "I hope that you have worked up an appetite today, I have taken the liberty of having several bottles of your favorite _meal_ prepared for you." He told her with an all knowing smile.

She eyed him wearily. "Thanks." At that moment, several Arrancar servants filled the room, serving all of the Espada and their lord their meals on white china plates. Nicole twitched a halfhearted smile at the servant who poured her a wine glass full of a bright red substance.

"Pardon me, but I believe that I may have initially forgotten to introduce you. Everyone, for those of you who have not had the pleasure to officially meet her yet, this is Nicole Knight." He continued, pointing out each Arrancar and naming them for her. She had immediately lost interest, and hardly paid attention to him. She partially tuned him out while she stared at the glass of delicious blood before her.

"So this is Lucifer's daughter, huh?" Nicole's attention was caught by that. She glanced over at the person whom the obnoxious voice belonged to. Her eyes fell upon the black haired Espada that Nicole believed Aizen had referred to as Nnoitora Gilga.

Aizen gave him a warning look, but Nicole had replied before he had gotten the chance to speak. "Technically yes, but no one besides outsiders actually refers to him as Lucifer. His name is Vincent Knight." She corrected.

His beady black eyes narrowed. "Well he is the ruler of hell, isn't he? This would make him Satan."

"He is the _creator _of hell. Lucifer is a biblical creature. Lucifer was an angel who was condemned for his betrayals and lust for power. My father had never been anything close to an angel, nor was he condemned to hell. He started out as a Hollow that eventually developed into a demonic being. Then he created- and now manages- hell to keep order." She waved a hand at him as if to dismiss his stupidity. "Get your facts straight."

"So your father is the one to create the nine layers of hell then?" Aizen cut in, silencing Nnoitora for the moment. He already knew the answer to his question, but he was probing for any more information that she could provide him with. She nodded. "I see," He replied, "He must have a very unique imagination to be able to create something such as hell all by himself."

Realizing that everyone around her had already begun eating their food, Nicole picked up her wine glass and sipped at the blood. For a brief amount of time, the room was filled with only the sound of metal forks scrapping over plates. The pain in Nicole's cheek slowly subsided as she devoured the scarlet drink. Aizen and a few of the Espada watched with interest as the bruise faded from Nicole's flesh with each gulp that she took. She replaced the empty glass on the table. Aizen motioned to one of the servants, and her glass was instantly refilled. She flashed the server a devilishly fanged smile, causing them to stumble backwards. "Well actually," She finally spoke in reply to Aizen, "He created the original structure, but we helped customize certain layers of it."

The brown haired ex-shinigami was suddenly intrigued. "Oh? Please do explain."

"Well…" She took another sip of blood, her eyes shifting to gaze up at the ceiling while she contemplated how to explain. "My father created the Kushanada army, and the original nine layers. Those are the creatures and layers of hell that everyone commonly hears about, because they are the oldest ones to reside there. But when he had us, he gifted all of his children with Youkai blood with at least one layer to control, along with a section of hell's army to manage." She explained. Her eyes dropped back down to him. He had completely stopped eating, his full attention given to her. "Hell is in a sense a giant mirror. You see, it reflects the worst parts of a person. So as a result, our individual layers, and our sections of the army that reside in those layers, reflect parts of us."

"So your army all looks like you?" Another voice spoke up. Nicole glanced over to the Arrancar that she recalled Aizen introducing as Yammy.

"Not exactly…" She paused briefly, "My oldest brother is a full Youkai. He was born a Kanara, but his demonic side overwhelmed the rest of him. Now that he is a full-fledged, he has a secondary Youkai form. He takes shape as a giant serpent-snake like creature. As a result, all of his creatures are either water type creatures or reptiles. Though he is the only one of us to inherit two individual layers, so the sea creatures and snakes are separated. One layer is a molten lava ocean, and the other is a toxic tropical island."

"Very interesting… And what about you? What is your layer like?" Aizen urged on.

Nicole sunk back in her chair. A doubtful look took place on her face. "Well, since I am a Kanara, I do not have a secondary Youkai form. Our Tenshi side prevents us from having such a hideous and frightful appearance. I always have a humanoid body, though usually with some minor modifications." She brought up a hand to flex her returning claws, showing him exactly what she was referring to. "But apparently, hell decided that my core Youkai most resembles a feline." She said with obvious distaste. "All of my creatures are deranged, but they definitely do have feline like characteristics in both appearance and attitude. And the terrain of my layer is a crystallized jungle… Though I do not entirely understand why…"

Aizen chuckled lightly. She gazed at him questioningly, but never bothered to directly ask why he was laughing. "And what about your siblings? Tell us about them; how many of you are there?"

"Five of us were born, but only three of us remain as Kanaras. That would include myself, my twin brother, Codey, and our youngest brother, Jeremiah. Then as I said, our oldest brother, Colin, has become a full blooded. While Jeremiah's twin sister. Noahella had herself purified to become a full Tenshi."

"She had herself purified?" Aizen arched an eyebrow in wonder.

"Yeah. She never had the heart to kill. So she gave up her demonic energy to focus on her healing abilities, and her spiritual powers." Nicole shook her head. "She is not a fighter. Never has been."

"What about your parents? How did a Youkai and Tenshi get involved?"

Nicole couldn't help but to laugh. She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, it's beyond me. I never cared enough to really ask. But I can tell you that they are really the most bizarre couple ever. They are counter opposites of each other, to the _extreme_."

"I see…" The brown haired ex-shinigami nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Are there any other Youkai besides your family that lives in hell?"

"Only one," She answered, "Troxxel. But she is my twin brother's girlfriend, so she is practically family. She is the only person outside of our bloodline that we have invited in. The rest of the Youkai either live here in the dimension of Hollows, because they have not figured out how to leave, or on earth. We do not have anything to do with them though."

"Very interesting. If you do not mind me asking, where actually do you live? In one of the nine layers?"

Nicole shook her head, her layered black hair bounced from the motion. "No, we live in a hidden tenth layer. It is kept concealed by a barrier, and is separated from the rest of the layers. We have a castle there. It is like our own private sanctuary. Not one of the sinners can enter the tenth layer unless we invite them in. So most people aren't even aware that it exists."

Aizen was absorbing all of the new information. His elbows rested on the table top, while his chin rested on his entwined hands. He found himself to be out of questions, so he just continued to ponder over her explanations.

Several of the Espada had stopped their feasting and were also gazing at Nicole with great interest. Their curious eyes made her squirm with discomfort. "What about these guys?" She decided to break the awkward silence, "How did you manage to make Hollow/Shinigami hybrids? I thought that Hollows were still at the stage of being incapable of having children."

"Indeed they are. These are my Arrancar- Hollows that have shattered their masks in order to obtain soul reaper powers." He explained with little elaboration.

"Hmm." Was her only reply. She rose the wine glass back to her red lips, only to find it to be empty once again. Nicole glanced over at the servant once more. She gave him a deadly smile which made it clear what she desired. The servant staggered over to her, pouring her another glass of blood. He trembled lightly, his hands shaky. Nicole let him leave the instant that she no longer required his assistance. She happily sipped at the crimson drink. "All of your servants seem to fear that I might take a bite out of one of them." She commented with slight amusement.

Aizen smiled at her. "Well you already sunk your teeth into one of them, haven't you?"

Nicole licked the blood from her lips and gave him a sheepish smile. "Oh, you heard about that did you?"

He nodded. "I expected it. I ordered them to allow it."

Her eyes instantly lit up at this information. "_Good_," She purred out in satisfaction. She reflexively eyed a handful of the Espadas and Arrancar, secretly contemplating who she wanted to feed off of next.

Not much more happened after that, the dinner went on with some more small talk, but eventually came to an end, and everyone was dismissed by Aizen when he declared that he needed to get back to his work. Nicole was slightly surprised when Grimmjow volunteered to escort her back to her room, temporarily relieving Ulquiorra of his duties over her for the rest of the night.

Nicole trotted after Grimmjow as he strolled down the hall with his hands tucked into his pockets. When they turned down a vacant hall, he finally spoke. "Why did you lie to Aizen?" He wondered.

"Hmm?" She hummed questioningly.

"You did not tell him how you had really gotten that bruise."

"Oh." Nicole finally recalled what he had been referring to. "I just did not see why I should get you punished, that's all." She offered a friendly smile, before her voice darkened and her grin turned into a devious one. "Besides, if someone is going to punish you, it will be me. Once my powers are restored, of course." The darkness left just as quickly as it came and she cheerfully trotted by his side now. "Plus, if you were to die now, who else would allow me to sneak out and get into trouble when Ulquiorra is away?"

Grimmjow let out a sound that sounded like a half scoff, half snicker. He stopped at her bedroom door and shoved it open for her. "Goodnight, you half-breed brat."

She gave him a fanged smile as she retreated into her room. "Goodnight, Grimmjow."

_**Awww Well look at that, they are becoming friends XD**_


	8. Dreams

_**So here we go, Chapter Eight. Sorry for my lame updating skills… Sometimes I just suck lol. Hopefully you like this though ^^ Enjoy~**_

_Chapter Eight:_

_She was in the middle of a jungle, yet she was uncertain of how she had gotten there. She had awoken to find herself in the center of a small clearing. Surrounding her were tall trees, which all appeared to be formed out of clear quarts crystal. She recognized this place- it was her home. She quickly jumped to her feet, excitement rushing over her, giving her an overwhelming thrill. She leapt up into a tree, happily discovering that all of her demonic powers had returned._

_She glided from branch to branch, traveling through the glass forest with an unnatural amount of speed. She only came to a halt when she saw a puddle of water that was resting on the crystal flooring. She shot down from the trees, landing beside the water and gazed into it to catch a glimpse of her reflection. Satisfaction overcame her at what she saw. Staring back at her, was a blonde haired, multicolor eyed beauty. She was her true self again, she was certain of it._

_There was a rummaging heard behind her as something passed by the diamond foliage that was planted along the trees. Her pointed ears perked at the unexpected sound, and she leapt at the intruders without hesitation. She landed on one of them, knocking them off of their feet and onto their back with ease. She straddled them, her knees resting on each side of their stomach as she gazed down at them with desire filled eyes._

_Beneath her was a sinner- a prisoner of hell. She licked her lips while she stared at him. Her nose twitched at the intoxicating scent of his fear reached her senses. "You aren't very strong… But you will do." She whispered more to herself than to him._

_Her fangs found the vein in his neck with ease, and she bit down hard, earning a pain filled cry from her victim. She drained him of nearly all his energy and blood, but stopped just before she depleted him of his life force. She reluctantly pulled away, droplets of blood trickling down her chin from her lips. She had to be careful, for is she drained him completely, he would cease from existence and return to a blank soul and be sent back to the cycle of rebirth. He did not deserve that though. Not for his sins. He deserved an eternal life of pain in hell, where he was reborn over and over again._

_So instead of killing him by draining him, she reached up and snapped his neck with little effort. She watched with amusement as his current body returned to dust, and his soul was replaced back in the river of souls, where he would remain until another body was formed for him so that he could once more wander the depths of hell._

_She got up from that area, and leaned against a crystal tree. She slide down the smooth trunk into a sitting position and closed her eyes. She was back home. Everything else was just a bad nightmare. She was finally home…_

Nicole was awoken from her peaceful slumber when her door was thrown open and slammed against the wall. She blinked vigorously, trying to restore her sleepy eyes. Eventually her vision came into focus, and she spotted Nnoitra standing in the frame of her doorway. Her stare turned into a glare when her mind finally became processing everything that was happening. _How dare he disturb me while I'm sleeping…_ She thought angrily. "What do you want?" She barked out threw clenched teeth.

The fifth Espada glanced at her with disgust. "I don't see what the big deal about you is." He said with a foul attitude. "You don't seem that special to me. In fact, I would even say that you seem completely harmless. You lack power. You cannot defend yourself, not even from some pathetic Hollow scum, like the other day. I saw what had happened. Ulquiorra had to come save you. You're so weak, I have no clue why Aizen is at all intrigued by you. Your father may be powerful, but you obviously did not inherit any of his traits."

Nicole continued to glare at him, her blood was boiling. She wanted to jump right off of her bed and sink her teeth into his jugular vein, but she knew that that was a bad idea. He was right, she was currently weak, so picking a fight with someone at the moment would be a terrible idea, especially when that someone was an Espada. _I will just kill him later when my strength has returned…_ She vowed to herself. "Is that all that you have to say? If so, please feel free to leave my room. I would much enjoy some more sleep." She hissed, the intensity of her heated stare not yet dying down.

He continued with his pointless rambling. "You're obviously not that intelligent either. From what I heard, you got your sorry ass purified in the human world. Ulquiorra should have done us all a favor and just left you there to be executed."

Something inside of Nicole snapped at those words. "_Fine._ I will just leave then." She growled, forcing herself away from the comfort of her bed. She marched for the door, blindly shoving passed him. He grabbed her upper arm with a tremendous amount of force and jerked her back into her room before she could leave. She stumbled backwards, giving him another dirty look. "Unhand me."

"I was not finished talking to you." His black eyes glared back at her.

_Why you arrogant son of a… _"Get your filthy, vile hands off of me right _now." _She demanded, her voice low and lethal. She reached up with her free hand, swiping her claws extended claws at his face. He pulled back just in time to avoid her sharpened nails from making contact with his skin. Once his hold on her was released, she felt the area that he had been crushing become warm as a bruise from his overly tight grasp began to form.

"Is that all you've got? That's just pathetic!" He insulted, nearly sending Nicole into a blind rage.

"Just. Get. Out." She bit out, clenching her hands into fists by her sides.

"Oh I don't think so, not after that, you little brat." He pulled his sword on her, bringing it down in a heavy stroke. She was alarmed by his sudden attack, and was barely able to dodge it. She tripped in the process, stumbling and falling into a wall that she used as support. _What the hell! He really just tried to kill me!_ She did not have him to think before he thrust his blade at her again. This time it came down in a threatening strike only inches away from her body. The blade sliced through the building walls with ease. Part of the structure was blown out with the overpowering energy that radiated from the weapon, leaving a gaping hole in the wall beside Nicole. Her eyes widened. _One hit with that, and I'm a goner._ She realized.

Right after that thought, she leapt over the rubble that now remained in place of the once existing wall, and dashed down the empty hallway. She ran as quickly as her legs could carry her. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she made her way down the halls, turning at all the corners only to find another unoccupied hall. _Where the hell is everyone?_ She yelped when another blood came crashing down next to her. Her panic caused her to pick up her speed, she darted for where she remembered seeing Grimmjow's room. She slammed into the door and forced it open with her body. No one was there. _Damnit!_

She had no clue where Ulquiorra's room was, but if she had known, she would have tried there next. She continued her anxious strut down the building passage ways, with Nnoitra hot on her trail. The part that bothered her most, was the fact that she knew he was putting no real effort in catching up to her. He was just playing a game to prove his point on how truly weak she was in comparison to him.

She was so panicked, that she paid little attention to what was right in front of her. She glanced over her should to see the approaching enemy just as she turned a corner. She was turning her head back so that she could view what was right in front of her when she smacked into something as hard as a rock. She hit the object with such force that she staggered back and fell on her behind. "Damnit! Today is not my day!" She hissed, reaching up to cup her bleeding nose. She cringed when her palm touched it, she was sure that it was broken. Crimson liquid gushed from her broken nose, snaking its way down her arm and down her face.

When she was unable to open her eyes again, she looked up to see what she had ran into. Despite the painful throbbing of her injured face, she was relieved to see both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra standing before her. _Thank GOD! _

Both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were out spending some time training when they both felt a spike of fear in Nicole's aura. The two of them, without mentioning it to each other, went to go see what was happening. The two rival Arrancar glared at each other when they both enter the same hall, and realized that both of them had the same designation. Neither of them actually spoke a word to the other though.

Ulquiorra was slightly annoyed that Grimmjow was checking up on his responsibilities. Looking after the half-breed was his job, and it was not something that he needed assistance in. Grimmjow himself was not exactly sure why he was going to check up on her. He understood that it was not his responsibility, but some part of him wanted to stick around her. He wanted to know how powerful her kind really were, so he thought it he stuck around long enough, he would find out once she recovered her abilities.

Both Arrancar stopped dead in their tracks when Grimmjow was suddenly struck with a black haired blur. The two men glanced down as they saw Nicole fall backwards into a sitting position. "Damnit! Today is NOT my day!" They heard her complain, her voice slightly muffled as she covered her bleeding nose. She finally looked up at them, and they noticed the sudden relief when she spotted them.

Neither of them had to ask what had happened; Nnoitra came rushing around the corner right behind her, his sword in hand. He abruptly ceased his movements when he spotted them. Nicole glanced behind her to spot him, with his sword drawn. She hurriedly got on all fours and crawled behind Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, expecting them to actually protect her.

They did not pay any further attention to her, they were both staring at Nnoitra. "What is the meaning of this?" Ulquiorra asked in his usual monotoned voice.

"Heh. She got on my nerves." The fifth Espada replied, he then swung his blade back over his shoulder before turning his back to them. "Just forget it, I have better things to do." He said before walking away.

_Coward! _Nicole thought, though she did not have much room to talk at the moment. She had been running from him the entire time. Ulquiorra turned back to stare at Nicole. "What did you do this time?" He asked her.

She was taken back by his question. "I did _nothing_! I was asleep when he came barging into my room, bitching about how he didn't like me! I tried to just leave, but he picked a fight with me!" She snapped at him. He looked over her, then back towards the receding Espada as he noticed that Nicole was telling the truth.

Grimmjow nearly laughed. "That figures. Nnoitra is a coward that is easily threatened. He heard that you are stronger than him, so he probably wanted to kill you off while you were weakened."

Nicole gave him a half-hearted glare. "Well doesn't that sound familiar." She muttered.

"Hey, I didn't just almost let you get eaten because I was frightened, I did it because it was funny. Get your facts straight."

Ulquiorra felt his patients wear thin with the two halfwits in front of him. "I will return you to your room." He hold her, grabbing her by the hand and jerking her up onto her feet, only letting her go when he was sure she had her balance. She wiped off some of the blood from her face onto her sleeve, staining it a bright red that soon dulled into a reddish brown.

"Well… That might be an issue…" She replied, offering a half smile. He looked back at her with his intense emerald eyes, obviously demanding an explanation. "He blew a hole right through my wall…Sooo…"

_What an inconvenience._ "Come with me then." Ulquiorra demanded, then looked towards Aizen. "I trust you to go report this to Aizen?" Grimmjow muttered something under his breath but took his leave to do as suggested. Nicole did not have time to ask Ulquiorra where he was going to take her before he had already started walking off. She immediately followed after him, not feeling safe being alone.

He brought her to a room that was a lot like hers, but larger, and with a walk-in bathroom attached to it. She glanced around, finding this room to be lacking color just as much as everywhere else in the palace. "You will stay here in my quarters. It will be safer." Ulquiorra told her. "I will send for a servant to bring your nourishment immediately."

He was gone before she could reply. She let out a dramatic sigh. She wearily eyed Ulquiorra's bed and contemplated going back to sleep. Some part of her yearned to return to that dream of hers, she had felt so peaceful while sleeping, and she desired that same happiness now. She decided against it though when the thought of Nnoitra possibly barging into this room as well crossed her mind. So instead of resting as she wished for and letting her guard down, she explored the contents if the room. Nicole was disappointed to find that nothing that could hold any sentimental value was in the area. All that remained in the dorm were common items- such as uniforms, a bed, shampoo and a small variety of hygienic products.

_How could someone be so detached from everything? Even for a Hollow, shouldn't there be some sort of attachment to something? It's just… Unnatural…_ Nicole chose to shrug it off. She searched his closet for a new outfit that she could borrow. She grumbled at discovering that all of the uniforms were identical. After selecting a pair of white pants and a white split tailed coat, the raven haired girl trotted towards the bathroom. She quickly found the shower and turned the knobs to release the hot spray. She stripped her current clothing, letting it fall to the floor in a limp heap.

She stepped under the shower head, shivering as a warm sensation washed over her. The hot spray soothed all of her aching muscles. The goose bumps on the surface of her flesh slowly faded as she soaked in the warm water. Her eyes fell closed as she stuck her face just below the faucet. Tiny droplets streamed onto her face and dampened her hair. She grabbed a bottle of body wash, lathered up her hands, then began to scrub herself clean.

Her fragile hands lingered over her left shoulder as she gently massaged it. She turned her face back to the hot spray, lingering beneath it for some time. "Hmm…" She continued to rub the smooth skin of her shoulders as she forced herself to continue her previous dream as a daydream, attempting to relive that moment of bliss and joy.

_The strawberry blonde haired beauty was resting against the trunk of a crystal formed tree. Her glorious multicolored eyes were temporarily hidden as she kept her eyes shut. She was beautiful in that position, just as she always was. Her long, slender legs were laid out in front of her, one knee flat, while the other was bent. Her arms were crossed over her bust, and her back was slumped against the trunk. Her posture was lacking grace, yet something about her gave the lazy posture a unique sense of required gracefulness. _

_Her sharpened canine teeth just barely peeked over the plumpness of her scarlet lips as she gave an open mouthed grin. "What are you doing here in my territory, brother?" She asked, her eyes still remaining closed._

"_You've been gone for a small while. I have been overseeing your layer for you." A melodic male voice answered in a placid tone. She felt as a presence closed in on her; she opened her eyes to catch a view of her twin taking a seat before her. He had crossed his lengthy legs underneath himself as he sat down in a criss-cross formation. When he was finally near eye level with her, his mismatched orbs bored into hers._

_His features were just as unique as hers. Much like Nicole, his eyes were two separate colors. His right eye was a jade green that matched Nicole's left eye, but his left eye was a topaz gold that countered the blueness of her other eye. His hair was bicolored as well, equivalent to the oddness of his irises. Just like Nicole's, his medium length hair was chopped into several layers. The top few layers were a deep ebony black that shimmered with a red-violet tint, while the under layers that protruded from beneath the plum shaded black were a sandy blonde shade, highlighted with a few hints of a warm ginger red._

_He was an uncommon definition of beauty. He was much taller than Nicole, reaching the height of six feet and four inches. Even while he sat, his significant height was noticeable. He was lean as well, but well built with muscle that corded every part of his slender body. They had the same basic face shape and structure though, making it believable that they were siblings. His face was angular and slightly heart shaped, much like hers, with high, well defined cheekbones, and the paleness of his complexion was only a few shades darker than Nicole's ivory skin. _

_Nicole stared at her twin brother with confused eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed at his statement. "I've been gone? I thought this was my daydream. I do not want to be talking about this, so why are you mentioning such things?"_

"_It's more than just a fantasy… You should know that. That is how it has always been, I thought that you knew." He simply stated, not giving much sign of caring. His pupils narrowed into vertical slits as he stared at her with observant eyes. "You lost your powers." He realized, "What did you do?"_

"_What?" She replied in a startled voice. Just a moment ago, she was glad to discover that she still possessed her Youkai powers in her dream realm, or if she had ever lost them there, she had already recovered them. "Codey, I'm back to normal now. It's nothing to worry about." She told him in a shaky voice._

"_Nicole, where are you? What have you done?" The serene tone fled from his voice as sudden alarm took over. "How did you get yourself purified?" He reached out to cup her chin and force her to look him directly in the eyes. "You cannot tell me that this is nothing to worry about, you obviously are not aware of what things need to be worried about…"_

_Nicole shook him off of her and jerked back. Within an instant, she stood back to her feed and rushed away from him. She came back to this dream to find peace, not be tormented like this. 'Wake up…. Why can't I wake up!' She fought so hard, but the dreamland would not allow her to leave. She felt as if she was running in circles, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not break from the never ending loop. A small shriek broke from her lips when an arm snaked around her wait and jerked her into a halt. She struggled against the tight hold on her. "Let go!" She hissed out._

_Codey held her firmly with a crushing grasp. "Tell me what you did." He demanded in a firm voice. _

"_I don't know what you are talking about!" She desperately lied._

"_Don't lie!" He roared with such ferocity that it send her into an even further panic. He jolted into an inhuman speed, only running until he found a puddle of water resting on the glass mud ground. He dropped Nicole to her hands and knees, reached over to cup the back of her skull and forced her to look down at her own reflection. "Look at that!" Resistance was pointless, he easily overpowered her. She did as he commanded, and sated down at her mirror image. She was shocked to find a pair of cobalt blue eyes staring back at her, accompanied by a heedful of black silky hair. "Now tell me what you did." His voice became dangerously dark._

"_I-I-" She stuttered. Her mind was aimlessly spinning. 'Just a few minutes ago I was…. How did I-? How am I-?' There were an overwhelming amount of questions flooding her mind. Dizziness soon kicked in and her arms became wobbly, threatening to give out._

"_Tell me where you are Nicole. NOW."_

Nicole gasped as she finally broke from her alarming day terror. She coughed loudly, and was surprised to be greeted by a dull pain in the back of her head. Her eyes snapped open immediately, but she was forced to close them when hot water droplets pelted her. It took a moment for her senses to fully register her surroundings.

She was laying on the shower floor. She had collapsed onto the hard surface in the process of passing out. Nicole grimaced when she first tried to pull herself up. _My whole body is sore…_ She acknowledged. She chose to ignore the pain and pushed passed it. Once standing, she turned off the running water, found a towel and wrapped herself in it.

After drying herself off, she threw on the uniform that she had stolen from Ulquiorra's closet. It fit loosely, her curves hidden by the bagginess of the coat and pants, Once dressed, she attempted drying out her hair with the towel, but gave up after a few moments and tossed the towel to the ground along with her pile of worn clothes. Nicole left the bathroom, paced around the room a few times before settling down on the bed. That was when her mind began to wonder.

She found it peculiar how her daydream turned so sour. It was strange how the fantasy had felt so vividly real. Nicole absentmindedly reached up to cradle the back of her skull, wincing when her palm brushed over a bump that had formed due to her fall in the shower. That obscured figment of her imagination had such a strong hold on her conscious that she had found it difficult to break free from it. The idea of the bizarre incident being something more than her imagination did cross her mind. _Could he really have gotten inside of my head?_

She didn't have time to ponder that possibility for long. A servant creaked open the door and wandered inside, pushing a cart filled with bottles of blood. The servant stopped in the center of the room, awaiting her instructions. "Just leave it here. Thank you." Nicole ordered, too distracted to say much of anything else. Then she was alone again, considering her previous thoughts…

_**She's not going entirely crazy, I promise… XD There will be a point to this later on :3**_

_**Please Review 3 Thank you!**_


	9. Why not

_**So this chapter is a little bonding time between Nicole and Grimmjow… Seeing as he is to become her future best friend and all :P Anyhow, I promise to get to more Nicole and Ulquiorra later, but I don't want to rush their relationship too soon. I kind of wanted to show you guys more of Nicole's character first, so you understand her better :3**_

_**Just warning all of you, she is very moody and somewhat indecisive XD And she throws a lot of 'temper tantrums'. So expect the worst!**_

_**Enjoy!~**_

Chapter Nine:

A couple of days had passed, and not much of anything had happened. Ulquiorra avoided going to his room as much as possible, leaving Nicole completely alone. She hated it. She sat with crossed legs on the center of his bed, her eyes were closed as she attempted to meditate. _Relax… Relax… _She repeated to herself multiple times, but the stench of a few-day-old dead bodies prevented her from being able to concentrate. Frustration overwhelmed her; her eyes snapped open. The greenness to her left eye was slowly returning, and her ears were shaping back into their original pointed form.

She glanced down at the side of the bed, catching sight of a newly started pile of corpses. She had gotten cranky after her first day of solitary, and had sucked dry every servant that had set foot in the room. She left their rotting figures on the floor as her way of silently protesting Ulquiorra's failure to attend to her needs. She groaned and fell face first onto the mattress.

Her heightened senses were gradually returning. Her sense of smell, hearing and sight were rapidly improving by the day. She was still no where near a full recovery, but the progress did excite her nonetheless. _Soon…. Soon I can return home._ Her mind flashed back to her crystallized jungle homeland. She sighed. _Home._ She longed for the safety and comfort of the familiar area.

The door opened with a subtle creak, and Nicole's head instantly snapped up. She subconsciously traced her lips with her tongue, obviously expecting her visitor to be a servant. "Holy sh- What the hell happened in here?" Grimmjow said in both disgust and amusement. His blue eyes scanned over the dead corpses before finally settling on Nicole.

He was slightly surprised to see that her appearance was changing so drastically. Her retractable claws, her vampiric teeth and her pointed ears had all returned. There was a hint of green brightening her left eyes and her right one was fading into a lighter shade of turquoise blue. Added on to all of that, her blackened hair was highlighted by a few strands of strawberry blonde. The lethal expression on her face quickly vanished as it was replaced with a look of genuine surprised and clear satisfaction. "Grimmjow!" She cheered, leaping off of the bed to stand before him. She beamed up at him with her brilliant, pearly white smile. "Please tell me that you have come to take me out of this dreadful room!"

Ignoring her plea, he glanced back at the stack of dead bodies. "What happened in here?"

Nicole followed his stare and dismissively waved off the stiffly stilled forms. "Silent protest. I've been held in solitary for far too long."

Grimmjow nearly doubled over from laughter. "Ulquiorra is going to be pissed!" He exclaimed with noticeable humor.

"Good." She hissed with a bitter resentment, causing Grimmjow to laugh harder.

When his chuckling came to a stop, he reached up to pat her on the head. "I was beginning to wonder where all of those little servants were disappearing to. Now I know!" He said with demented amusement. He glanced back down at her, "Are those Ulquiorra's clothes?" He wondered, finally noticing their lose fit on her. She nodded in reply. His face wrinkled in disgust. "I wouldn't touch those with a ten foot pole…" He commented more quietly. He looked back up at her face before adding, "The pale freak is on another mission. So I suppose that it wouldn't hurt fr me to sneak you out for a few hours." He ruffled her hair, causing a few individual strands to stick up in odd directions.

Her face lit up with exuberant excitement. "Thank you!" She exclaimed with a tremendous amount of joy.

He moved to the side and urged her to follow him down the unoccupied hall. She cheerfully skipped after him. "Do you think you could actually manage to defend yourself today?" He asked her.

"Probably, why?" She replied, her buoyant smile never once faltered.

He smirked to himself. "We can play a game then."

She perked up with enthusiasm. "A game?"

Nicole was still trotting after Grimmjow as they left the palace, wandering into the desert of Hueco Mundo for the second time. "The rules of the game will be simple. Whoever kills the most Hollows wins." Grimmjow explained.

"Challenge accepted!" Nicole beamed, flexing her claws to demonstrate her determination. Her senses were much sharper than the last time that she came out here. She expanded her aura, seeking out the presence of nearby Hollows. She readied herself to dart off in their direction as soon as he gave her permission.

"Ready…Set…Go." Nicole bolted in the direction of the masked fiends, her claws lengthened and ready. Grimmjow simply followed after her, more interested on observing her than actually winning the game. She reached the creatures in no time. She leapt up, high enough to land on the first Hollow's shoulders. Her land was graceful, but the beauty of her movements was quickly concealed by a curtain of crimson that followed. The blue haired Espada watched as Nicole raked her sharp nails across the back of the Hollow's neck. The mindless being released a pain filled shriek as the steal claws tore through the first layers of his flesh. It was taken by surprise when Nicole's fangs quickly followed after, sinking into the tough hide of its neck.

She drained the masked monster within a matter of seconds. The lifeless body collapsed to the sandy terrain beneath them. Nicole landed with ease next to the lifeless lump and glanced around quickly for the other Hollows that she sensed in this area, only to find them already obliterated into several pieces. Grimmjow was lazily watching Nicole with an unimpressed expression. "You're too slow."

Nicole's bottom lip puckered out into a slight pout. "No fair! You just kill them purely for sport! I actually hunt them with a purpose! I feed off of them, so of course you wouldn't be required to take as long!" She complained.

Grimmjow smirked and gave a careless shrug of his shoulders. "You should have thought of that before accepting my terms."

"I demand a rematch!" He laughed at her, causing her to sulk.

Her pitiful moping ended soon after though when he changed the subject. "I had not entirely believed you before when you said that the blood and energy of others restores your own life force." He commented. She glanced up at him just in tome to witness his eyes fixating on her. "But now I can plainly see that you were being truthful."

Nicole cocked her head to the side. "Did you think that I simply went around taking bites out of people purely for my own satisfaction without there being any benefit?" There was no reply, she gave out a light laugh, though it was void of any humor. "Blood tastes amazing, but I am sure that I'm only actually attracted to it because of the fact that I need it to maintain my strength. Though I cannot deny the incomprehensible pleasure that I receive when I drain the life out of others, I am sure that that satisfaction is purely due to my instincts."

"Do you hunt back in Hell as well?"

"Yes, of course. I feed off of the sinners. We all do. We locate the ones with the highest concentration of energy, hunt them down, and then absorb their life force." She twitched a half smile. "There are restrictions though. Like how we cannot deplete any sinner of all of their energy."

"Why not?"

"Well generally for a prisoner of Hell, once you die, you're reborn in order to relive the continuous cycle of eternal torture. Though we have discovered that when we Youkai completely drain a sinner, they ceased from existence all together. They revert back to a blank soul and are sent back to the cycle of rebirth. If all of the sinners disappeared, we would no longer have anyone to steal energy from."

Grimmjow didn't reply to that. "Still want that second round?" Nicole perked up, eagerly nodding. "This time I won't go ease on you." He told her with a smug grin. He then sonidoed off to find another pack of Hollows.

"Damn!" Nicole gasped out, immediately darting off after him. She desperately tried to keep up with him, but found that to be exceedingly difficult. She staggered in a rush behind him, cursing aloud as the Espada managed to maintain a good distance between the two of them. She watched in awe as he easily defeated a pack of Hollows that they came across. His movements were so quick that she had not even seen him draw his katana, but she assumed that he must have when the beasts were sliced in half.

Nicole skid to a halt just in time to swipe her dagger sharp claws across the neck of another Hollow that was among the hoard. Scarlet rain splattered everywhere, staining Nicole's face like war paint. _What a waste…_ She leapt to the next few creatures, clawing off limps with each of her swift movements. After her frenzied slaughter fest, she fell back to the desert floor, landing on the pads of her feet with a gentle thud. "That's eight." Nicole called out to her competitor.

Her aqua haired companion gave a mockingly humorous scoff in response. "Seventeen for me." He landed with ease next to her. He smirked down at her with that overly cocky smile of his. "Look's like you Kanara aren't the top of the food chain like your initially thought."

She offered him a sheepish smile, though it could be seen in her eyes that she was burning with sheer determination to prove him wrong. She chose to push that desire to the side for now, knowing that she was still far too weak to change his mind. She rose her hands as she shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I'll just have to prove you wrong another time." She concluded, then wiped the blood off of her face with the sleeve of her shirt (or rather Ulquiorra's coat), staining the white material a dirty red.

He sniggered with both doubt and amusement. "Sure you will."

She gave him a fake pout again. "You always doubt me."

He gave her a simple smirk in reply. "That freak will probably be back soon. I should get your back before he throws a hissy fit." He commented once realizing that they had been gone for quite some time.

Nicole nodded in agreement, even though it was apparent that she did not actually wish to return to that awful room. She hurriedly trotted off after him in the direction of the Las Noches Palace. "Will you come visit me again?" Nicole wondered hopefully once they entered the safety of the building.

"Maybe, if I feel like it." He answered as he lead her back to Ulquiorra's room, opening the door for her. She slipped inside, turning to face him and try to get one last work in, but she found that he was no longer there.

The repulsive odor of decaying flesh crept up her nostrils, making her nose wrinkle in disgust. She had expected Ulquiorra to return much sooner so that she could demand that he cleaned her mess. She silently grumbled some swear words while tiptoeing over the bodies to the bed. This was the one moment that she wished to be purified completely again. Now that her senses were returning, everything was amplified to a ridiculous amount. The lifeless flesh was still fairly new, and the stench was not strong enough to be detected by someone with an average sense of smell yet. However, with her Youkai nose, the odor seemed much more pungent. _Figures… I try pissing him off, and it only back fires. Just my luck._

She found herself glaring at the dead Arrancar servants, wishing that they would disappear. Wish a heavy sigh, she crawled underneath the white sheets of the bed and pulled the blankets over her head. "I'll just sleep to pass the time by…" She decided to herself.

Ulquiorra finally returned to his room, finding himself to be rather exhausted. He paused in the door way when he spotted the dead servants piled on his floor. _What the hell…_ It took him only a matter of minutes to dispose of the corpses else where and return to his room. He glared at the woman preoccupying his bed. He could have to scold her as soon as she woke up. His hateful glare gradually faded when he saw how peaceful she currently looked.

There was no other word to describe her at that moment besides angelic. Her fragile form was curled up into a half fetal position as she slept. Though most of her was hidden beneath the covers, her head and face still remained visible. The black strands of her hair were fanned over the fluffy white pillows. The few strands of a strawberry gold glistened in the moonlight, contrasting with her dark colored hair on a whole new level. He reached out to brush the bangs out of her face. Her complexion was almost godly. She glowed with a subtle ivory hue, and the surface of her skin was smoothed to perfection. Her high cheekbones and her otherwise soft features blended perfectly with the rest of her.

He had never seen something so perfectly beautiful before. Though to the eyes of this heartless Espada, her beauty meant nothing. He dropped his hand from her hair and stared at her for another moment. He really just wished that Aizen had never given him the job of caring for this half breed.


	10. Just A Bite

Chapter Ten:

_There was a faint echo of barking Hell Hounds off in the distance. Nicole's eyes slowly fluttered open. Rays of a red sun blinded her for a second until her pupils adjusted. Old pine trees towered over her, with lively green trunks and dead brown pine needles growing off of them. The fiery light of the sun peered through small open patches between the clusters of dried out foliage. There was some tan colored moss growing on the deep green bark of the overly grown pine tree trunks, and roots were covered by fallen pine needles and snow white dirt._

'_This is… Codey's layer.' She recognized. She sat up to get a better view of her surroundings. She was in a small clearing, void of any vibrant colors besides the green, and without any fragrant flowers. In the distant scenery, gigantic mountains with snowcaps could be seen. Though they were no ordinary mountains- the rocks and dirt on the mountain surface were a pearly white, while the snow that capped it was a charcoal black._

_Her nose twitched when a marvelous fragrance tickled her nostrils. The air was heavy with the sweet scent of freshly spilled blood. "You're back." She jumped. Turning to view Codey. He was sitting with his legs crossed at the boarder line of the clearing. Sitting beside him was a black furred wolf. Bones were protruding out of the surface flesh of the dog, and its eyes were gouged out, leaving crimson red cavities in their place. Deep red trails trickled down from the sockets, soaking and clumping the fur of the wolf's face. This animal was clearly not one of Earth- but rather, it was one of Codey's Hell Hounds. Its lips pulled back, revealing its jagged teeth as it let out a feral snarl. Codey reached up to stroke the beasts head, instantly calming the creature._

"_Codey…" She hesitated, "Tell me what this is all really about… This is not just a dream."_

_He shook his head. "I am sorry for frightening you before, I was irritated. And no, this is not a dream. I had always assumed that you knew. We are twins, our minds are very much in sync. I have always been in tune with your thoughts, no matter how far you are."_

"_Then why is it only in dreams that I notice you inside of my head?" She asked._

_His eyebrows furrowed. "It has always been easier to connect to you when your conscious mind is at rest. But lately there has been this other presence around you that has been forcing me out…. So now dreams are the only way that I seem to be able to get to you… though now even that is becoming difficult." He absentmindedly twitched a frown. "if you stop trying to fight me just allow me to sync with your mind, I can find your exact location." He gazed deep into her eyes with a knowing stare. "I am already aware that you are uncertain of your exact location. So let me connect so that I can find you. I will help you get out of whatever mess you have gotten yourself into." She contemplated the proposal before nodding in compliance. _

"_Do it. I trust you… So just do it." He nodded, standing to his feet and stepping towards her. Suddenly, his foot stopped in mid air as sit struck an invisible force field. The two siblings glanced up at each other in mutual panic._

"_someone with an incredible amount of energy is near your body again… And I cannot get through, I-" Nicole could still see his mouth moving, but his voice muted. The surroundings quickly faded to black._

She was shocked to open his eyes and find Ulquiorra sleeping beside her. She stifled a gasp at seeing him. She stared with widened eyes at his sleeping face. It was surprising to see him so close to her. She listened to his even breathing and relaxed. He was the person with high enough energy to keep her brother from intruding her mind, she could feel it. She had never before noticed it, but now that he was this close and so relaxed, she could practically feel his spirit energy radiating off of him. A shiver shook her body as an incredible desire made itself known. She leaned in a bit closer, her face lingering over his as her mouth practically watered.

Her vibrant eyes examined his oddly handsome face with a sudden new perspective. Though it had previously gone unnoticed by her, he was very attractive. She hesitated before reaching up to gently stroke the teal tear marks that highlighted his unnaturally pale skin. He was surprisingly smooth to the touch, the sensation reminded her of touching velvet. Once her finger tip reached the end of the greenish trail, she traced back up it, only stopping as the green disappeared beneath his dark lashes.

Merely touching him threw her senses into overdrive. It was at that moment that she was clear on what she needed to do. She needed to _taste_ him and that awesome power. She swallowed hard, her senses jumbling the closer that she leaned in. When she was unable to contain herself any longer, she lost all composer. Lengthened fangs found the main vein of his neck as she bit down just hard enough to puncture and draw blood. Almost the exact instant that she had bitten him, he had reflexively thrown her off of him. She stumbled backwards, falling onto her back on the mattress. He appeared before her, each of his hands positioned by the sides of her head, trapping her underneath him. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked while threatening emerald eyes glared down at her.

He had been half awake nearly the entire time that she had been. He had felt the moment that she had touched his face. There was a part of him that thought about stopping her and telling her to refrain from touching his person ever again, but somehow he was unable to find the strength to say that. Her gentle touch was somehow comforting, and he found himself falling into a deeper, more peaceful slumber as she traced over his cheek. However, that pleasing sensation was soon disrupted when he felt the sharp pinch of her fangs digging into the skin of his neck.

He threw her back as a reflex, and pinned her beneath him as he glared down at her. Was she trying to attack him in his sleep? How low. He openly questioned her intentions, and was slightly shocked to see the drunken expression on her face.

Now that he was fully awake and his guard was back up, he was able to conceal that magnificent spiritual pressure of his once more, but after tasting that deliciousness, Nicole could never forget that it was there. There was only one thing on her mind, and that was the fact that she needed _more_. "Aizen said I could…" She murmured, still in a trance. "You have to let me." This time she was entirely focused on the spot of his neck where she had bitten. His regenerative powers had already taken effect and stitched his wound back up with ease, leaving no evidence that there was ever an injury to be seen.

Due to her hyper active awareness, she immediately noticed when his tensed muscles went lax as he surrendered to her valid point. Taking this as a sign that she could continue, before he was even able to remove himself from her, she had tackled him back against the pillows, resinking her fangs back into him. She happily suckled at the blood, puncturing his neck again and again every time that it healed prematurely. To her surprise, Ulquiorra never once complained or voice a protest.

After relenting to her point, Ulquiorra was somewhat shocked that Nicole had so eagerly shoved him back into his previous position and latched back onto him without even so much as a second thought. The girl was clearly enjoying herself while she drank from him. He could feel as she absorbed his own energy; the sensation was strangely a pleasurable one. Nicole's body inched closer to him with the more blood she consumed. Her hands wandered behind his back and her sharpened nails kneaded at his flesh, leaving small scratches. A satisfied purr emitted from her chest as her feeding gradually came to a halt.

She found that she did not have to drink nearly as much from him to feel contently full as she did from the others. Once she released her jaws tight grip on his neck, she licked up the remaining droplets of scarlet. She was slightly alarmed by the excited purr that rumbled from inside of her, but she quickly got over it. She had never before experienced such a blissful feeling after a feeding. She soon after found herself snuggling up to his side, resting her head on his chest. Her cheek brushed against bare skin, and only then did she pay mind to the fact that he was shirtless, but she quickly regarded that fact, not particularly caring.

"Onna… What do you think you are doing?" He questioned, this time more in wonder instead of anger.

"Shh." She replied between gentle purrs. He internally sighed, but allowed her to continue her embrace. He closed his eyes, not entirely objecting her touch. She was very warm, and her soft skin felt nice against his.

At that moment she instantly knew that she was in love with the taste of Ulquiorra. That brief moment of feeding made her question everything. Now she was suddenly glad that she had been taken here. And now she questioned whether she truly wanted to leave. Surely if she left, she _had_ to take Ulquiorra with her. There was no questioning that. She needed him and his sweet blood. _What the hell am I thinking… That is just stupid._ At some level she knew that it was indeed a dumb idea, but she couldn't help but wish to be able to keep him around for as long as possible.

After a few silent moments, her purrs faded and she spoke up. I have never before tasted something so _perfect._" She commented, taking in a deep breath of his intoxicating scent. It was the rich fragrance of _power _and a strong life force. "You're delectable." Unsure of what to make of her compliment, he remained silent. She was definitely now glad that she had been brought here. If she had not been taking to Las Noches, she would have never had the opportunity to taste something so extravagant.

"As much as I am sure it displease you, I do have other duties to attend to Onna. I cannot lie here in bed forever." Ulquiorra finally found the strength to tell her.

At hearing his words, she tightening her hold on him, embracing him in a bone crushing hug. "Take me with you," She insisted with another happy purr.

"I do not think that would be a wise decision in my case."

"Oh _please_ Ulquiorra? I promise to be well behaved. You wont even notice that I am there, I will be just like a shadow!" She exclaimed with much excitement. She jerked her head up so that she could look down at him. Even someone as heartless as himself struggled to say no to a face like hers. Her reddened lower lip hung out in a slight pout, and her vibrant, multicolored catlike eyes slightly plead for him to do as she wished. She was beautiful, even he could not deny that.

"I highly doubt that you are even capable of being quiet long enough to be unnoticed for very long. You talk far too much. However, if you at least swear to be on your best behavior, perhaps I could allow you to accompany me for a while today." He knew that he would probably regret that decision the instant that he made it.

Her face lit up at his words and squealed from excitement. "Agreed!"

"This also requires that you do as I say for the entire time that you are with me." He told her with an authoritative voice.

Nicole purred with happiness and nodded her head. "I promise. I will be good." She swore with honesty.

"I am going to take a shower then before I leave, and I advise that you do the same after." He stated plainly before attempting to get up. Nicole reluctantly released her grasp on him and watched him as he stood. She was somewhat disappointed when she noticed that he may have had no shirt on, but he still had on pants. _Well that's an odd thought to cross my mind…_ She acknowledged, but continued to stare at him. Her eyes traveled up and down the length of his back as she stared at his perfectly muscled and lean body. She silently observed the slight movements of his toned muscles as he moved around and made his way to the closet.

It did not go unnoticed to Ulquiorra that Nicole was staring at him like a hungry animal. Though he could not say that he disliked the way that she was staring at him in anyway. Many of the female Arrancar had given him this same look before and he had never paid attention to it, but somehow this was different. Once he was at his closet, he reached inside to pull out a new uniform and occasionally turned to glance at Nicole.

She was laying on her side, with her long slender legs at their full length, one on top of the other, and one of her arms curled beneath her head so that she could use it as a cushion. Even through her outfit he could see the rise and dip of her tempting curves. Then the look on her face was almost enough to drive a man made with lust. Her eyes gloriously vibrant eyes held such devious intent within them- that look alone was enough to seduce a common male. Her deadly- yet somehow attractively appealing- canine teeth were peeking over her bottom lip as she gently bit down on her own lip. Those lips that were so deep in color, and appeared to be nothing short than sinfully delicious…

He immediately snapped his eyes back towards the closet when he realized where his thoughts were leading to. He internally shuttered at realizing what had almost crossed his mind. _How disgusting… _He thought. Though he was more disgusted with himself than anything. It was a disgrace that he could let one simple girl embed herself so deep within his mind that he would resort to such absurd thoughts such as those.

Nicole intently watched as Ulquiorra retreated into his bathroom to shower. Once she heard the water running, she relaxed back in bed and just quietly daydreamed. Maybe her being here would turn out to be a good thing…

_**I am horrible at updating…. But now I am on a writing rampage so there should be more to come… Sooo Nicole finally took a bite out of Ulquiorra XD ~ I wanted to write that part so bad~ (I have issues lolol).**_

_**Rate & Review!3**_

_**UNTIL NEXT TIME!~**_


	11. Freedom

_**Dude... I really need someone to edit these chapters for me. I am far too lazy to reread my own stuff._. Anyone wanna help me? lol if so just message me or say so in a review haha(:**_

_**Anyhow... I am hoping that things in the story will start to pick up more from here. I will try to have some events to show more of Nicole's personaility. I promise, she isn't always super childish and trying to annoy everyone XD She is more complex than that!**_

_**ENJOY!~**_

Chapter Eleven:

"So we are going to go check on this… prisoner?" Nicole wondered aloud as she trotted along side Ulquiorra down the halls of Las Noches. Even though she was speaking to him, her eyes were wandering all over the place. This place would never ceased to amaze her, even when she looked at it with her Youkai eyes. Somehow this palace almost reminded her of the one back home in Hell… She was unsure why that was though. Maybe the lack of color…

"Yes." Short and blunt, that was usually how he answered.

She turned to finally look at him and gave him a scowl for replying with such a simple answer. "Why is she being held captive?" She asked him, eying him with suspicion.

He paid no mind to the looks he was receiving from her. "That is not my place to answer. It is Lord Aizen's choice whether you should have that knowledge or not."

Nicole pouted slightly, puckering her lower lip. "You don't trust me!" She whined.

"I do not trust anyone." He took a brief moment to glance at her when he received no reply. He watched her for a moment while she sulked to herself, her expressions still in a pout. "Cease that pouting woman, you look like a fool." He had told her, earning a heated glare from the Kanara woman.

They came to a stop in front of one of the many doors in the hall. "I am coming in." Ulquiorra announced before shoving aside the overly sized door. Nicole's interest perked as she walked inside along with Ulquiorra. The scent of a human hit her nostrils. She looked before her to see a redheaded human girl standing before a window and staring outside of it at the everlasting moonlight. _Their captive is human…? _The fiery haired girl turned to face them, and an expression of shock crossed over her features when her eyes fell upon Nicole.

Before a second thought had even had the chance to cross her mind, Nicole was suddenly before the redhead. The human girl fell backwards with a small startled yelp. She landed on her behind and winced with a slight bit of pain. Nicole crouched down so that she was eye level with the girl. Her animalistic instincts took over and she leaned in closer to the human and sniffed the air a few times. This was definitely a human…

Orihime was surprised to see a female accompanying her captor. Before she was able to fully register that there were two people inside of her room, the unfamiliar woman who had been positioned next to Ulquiorra's side had materialized before Orihime without so much as a warning. The human let out a small shriek of alarm before jolting back and losing balance. She fell on her backside with a small thud. The multicolored girl crouched down so that she was at eyelevel with her.

When she was done sniffing around., Nicole quirked an eyebrow after seeing such a feeble and pitiful display. "Yup… She is without a doubt a human…" She concluded at seeing Orihime's clumsy nature, not intending to propose her statement in such an offensive manner, but not particularly caring if she insulted the girl either. _She must be defective… How could a human even handle this atmosphere? _

She reached out to hold Orihime's chin in a single hand while she examined her closely with securitizing eyes. Nicole forcibly turned the girl's head from side to side so that she could get a good look at her face from every angle. Once Orihime was able to gain a slight bit of her composer back, she pulled her head back, putting a small amount of distance between the two of them.

This new girl was incredibly beautiful, far more attractive than any of the Arrancar that she had seen. There was a moment of awkward silence between them as they both intently stared at one another, looking over the others features with curious eyes.

Nicole was somewhat astonished to see that this human was very attractive. She had never before expected that a human could have such a vibrant color of hair. She reached out with one of her hands to gently caress one of the locks of the girl's fiery red hair. Nicole's curious eyes then wander to some of the human's other features. She was also amazed by the silvery tone of her eyes. Even more so, she was fascinated with all of the emotion that conflicted within them. She could tell that the girl was scared and frightful- she had every right to be- but she also saw something else in those reflective orbs. She saw curiosity, and amazement swirling deep within them. Maybe even a hint of admiration.

Nicole cocked her head to the side in a questioning manner, but quickly brushed the thought side and continued to examine the girl before her. She was small, perhaps even smaller than herself. Nicole had always been one with a frail appearing build- tiny, yet desirably curvy- but this fragile girl made even Nicole look threatening in comparison.

Orihime was taken back by this girl's beauty once she got a good look at her. The angelic face only inches before her was enough to hitch someone's breath in their throat. This girl's beauty was unnatural, possibly even unearthly. She was thin, with rather lengthy legs, and a delicate appearing build, but she had the perfect amounts of flesh in all of the right places.

From the slight movement that Orihime did see from her, she could tell that this woman was incredibly graceful. The way she positioned herself, even while hunched over how she was now, she somehow still managed to maintain a uniquely admirable grace to her. Orihime noticed as the girl tilted her head to the side while she watched her. She glanced up to view the face of what she was now certain had to be an angel.

Those distinctly feline like eyes boring into her stormy gray ones. The slits of her pupils narrowed with interest as she stared intently back at Orihime. It took everything she had in her to not squirm in discomfort as the woman before her seemed to stare straight into her very soul. As if to try avoiding that piercing gaze, Orihime averted her eyes so examine the other features of Nicole's face. She had the gorgeously delicate features of a pure hearted goddess, but she wore the expression of a dark hearted warrior. Her cheekbones were high, and her sinfully red lips were plump. Her dark, thick lashes complimented her gleaming eyes beautifully…

That was when Orihime finally realized something… This girl did not seem to have a Hollow mask- not even a partial one. Her eyes opened wide in shock and her lips parted upon her discovery. "You're…" She started slowly, having a hard time grasping the concept. Nicole perked up at hearing the girl's soft voice. "…Not and Arrancar…"

Nicole did not reply, but merely continued staring at the girl with unimpressed eyes. That seemed like a rather obvious fact to her. "Are you…?" Orihime began again, her mind not comprehending what was going on. "…human?"

Nicole cringed at those very words as if they physically burned her. Her features contorted in disgust as if she had been gravely insulted. "Do I _look_ human?" She inquired, contemplating back handing this girl if she gave her the wrong answer. Upon seeing that her insinuation had insulted Nicole, Orihime remained silent and only shook her head in reply.

"No… I suppose you don't…" She finally spoke up when realizing that Nicole was silently demanding a verbal reply to revoke what had previously been suggested.

Nicole abruptly stood from her spot and turned back towards Ulquiorra. She was met with what seemed to be his version of an irritated glare. "What?" She snapped at him, still cranky from Orihime's assumption. "I have never actually seen a human up close before. They are usually too busy running away from me."

"Clearly they have a reason as to why they avoid you." He replied in his usual cold demeanor.

Nicole ignored his insult, too preoccupied with glaring at the objects and walls around her. _Little wench._ She internally grumbled. Once she was back to his side, she halted, but continued to glare holes into the floor beneath them. "Human…" She grouchily muttered one last time to herself.

Ulquiorra had spared Nicole a single glance upon hearing her quiet complaining. It had somewhat interested him when he had seen the half-breed's reaction to seeing a human. She seemed so rapt in the whole event, that she completely ignored him. So he had patiently waited for her to get over her infatuation so that they may take their leave. Once Nicole was back by his side, he spoke up in his monotoned voice, "I shall send for a servant to bring you food. I will return to check up on you within a few hours. By then I expect your meal to have been eaten."

With that instruction said, the two of them took their turn and left the girl in that lonely room. "That was a rather pointless visit." Nicole pointed out in a rather snippy tone. Ulquiorra did not reply to her, seeing no point in creating meaningless conversation. The aggression that was present in Nicole's body language slowly dissipated as she submerged herself in deep thought. "I am curious though… I wonder what a defective human such as herself tastes like…"

"You are to, under no circumstances, indulge yourself with that human's blood." He replied emotionlessly.

However, she focused more on the words themselves than the emptiness behind them. Her catlike eyes narrowed. "You almost sound like you care for this girl." She bitterly insinuated, trying not to make it obvious that she was seething with jealousy. _Why am I jealous? This is ridiculous… _But yet there she was, feeling envious of the human woman.

"That is a ridiculous assumption. I am merely following orders. Lord Aizen demands her safety." He replied, never once lying eyes upon her while he spoke to her. She took a moment to closely examine him.

Satisfied to see that his cold demeanor was in fact genuine, she let go of her pent up frustration with a relieved sigh. Right as she was about to ask about their next designation, a unseemly tall, muscular Arrancar approached them. "Hey Ulquiorra," He called out. Nicole eyed him with caution, recalling him to be one of the Espada. _What was his name again? Yammy? I think that was what Aizen referred to him as._ Ulquiorra's only form of acknowledgement towards the brawny man was that he paused his stride and waited for him to continue his sentence before making any further movement.

"Lord Aizen has called for another meeting of the Espada. Said it was urgent…" He trailed off when his eyes lazily wandered over to Nicole. He took in her new appearance with unintelligent eyes. "That maniac Grimmjow was right. She does look a lot different…" He acknowledged in bewilderment.

Both Nicole and Ulquiorra ignored his added on statement. "I will be there immediately, but first I must return the Onna to my room." He took a step forward the moment that those words had left his blackened lips.

"Uhh no actually…" Yammy reached up to scratch the back of his head in a baboonish way. Or at least that was how Nicole would have described it. Ulquiorra stopped in his tracks and awaited him to finish. "That wont be necessarily… Aizen requested her presence… I have no idea as to why though…"

There was a brief pause before the pale fleshed Espada replied, "Very well."

Nicole, Ulquiorra and Yammy hurried to Aizen's meeting room. They were the last ones to enter the assembly room, which earned them a few bizarre side glances. "Nice of you three to join us." Aizen told them, his charming smile spread across his handsome face. His chin rested in the palm of his hand, and his elbow was lazily propped against the table top to support it. "Please, take a seat." He urged, motioning his free hand towards the vacant chairs awaiting them. All three of them obediently complied, immediately taking a seat as he instructed.

Nicole tried ignoring the awkward stares that she was receiving. The rest of the Espada- except for Ulquiorra and Grimmjow- were ogling over her drastically different appearance. Her once raven black hair was now highlighted with streaks of a reddish blonde and her previously cobalt blue eyes now were two separate colors, one turquoise, one jade. Her other changers were slightly less noticeable, but there nonetheless- everything from her devilish fangs, to her pointed elflike ears. It was almost as if she was a completely different person in their eyes.

Nicole remained silent, her glorious eyes scanned the room once before dropping to blankly stare at the white granite table. Why did Aizen summon her? This was just too weird…

Aizen took an extra moment to glance over her as well. He was pleased to see her transformation going well. A small, almost untraceable smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. "Anyways," He continued, taking his eyes off of the uniquely beautiful vixen and turning his attention back towards his loyal servants. "As I was previously stating, those Ryoka have broken into Hueco Mundo. They have come here for the girl."

Nicole listening intently, but never once shifted her stare away from the table. _Ryoka? What is that? Perhaps some sort of intruder…? They have come for the girl? What girl? That human maybe? It has to be her… _She was brought out of her intense thought when Aizen cleared his throat. She jolted back to attention, her eyes jumped up to meet his. "They have come here to rescue her."

The one named Nnoitra had a wild smirk on his face. "_Good,_" He howled with laughter, causing Nicole to glance over at him. "Let them come, I will hunt them down and kill them all!" He was too busy celebrating with sinister chuckles and wicked smiles to notice the disgusted look that Nicole gave him.

_What an animal. _

"No. You will not hunt them down." Aizen spoke up, "Though I appreciate your enthusiasm." Nnoitra's roaring laughter came to an abrupt halt at his masters words. There was a sudden disapproving scowl upon the vile Espada's face. "I want you to all continue you everyday routine. This meeting was not to have you go in search of them, it was merely to inform you that they are here. If you happen to run into them, then kill them. But I highly doubt it will come to that. I would not be surprised if they die out there in the desert of Hueco Mundo."

This conversation was giving her a migraine. What were they talking about? Why did they capture this girl? Too many questions and not enough answers… "Nicole, my dear…" Aizen's exceeding smooth voice startled Nicole, nearly making her jump out of her skin.

"Huh?" She replied almost dumbly. Her multicolored eyes met his deep brown ones in an unsettling gaze.

He offered her a deceptively kind smile, reassuring her that she did not have to be frightened. "I severely doubt the possibilities of this happening, but if these intruders do happen to make it into Las Noches, would you be so kind as to take care of them if they cross your path?" He asked her in such a charming and persuading manner that Nicole did not know how to respond.

"If I may ask, what do you have against them in the first place? And why did you kidnap their companion to begin with? What did they do?" Maybe she was being too forward, but she was never one to beat around a bush. Her forwardness earned her a few shocked gawks from a couple of the Espada. How dare she question Lord Aizen? Who did she think she was?

"They themselves did nothing in particular to deserve this." Aizen answered truthfully, shocking both Nicole and the Espada surrounding them. "But we are in the middle of a war. They are allies with the soul reapers who oppose us. I do not want to actually harm them, but I realized that in order to win, I have to, because they will surely come after us. This is all just our strategy to win." Perhaps it was just a particle truth, but it was much too close to the real thing to be comfortable. Several of his servants stared at him with disbelief, shocked that he would be so foolish.

But they were wrong. He knew what he was doing, and what he did was not foolish at all. "I see." Nicole replied after contemplating his words. "I understand that well. A Shinigami to a Hollow is what a Tenshi is to we Youkai. War is inevitable. I myself have nothing against the Soul Reapers, but I will not go out of my way to stop you from killing them… And if these people are allies of the Shinigami, then they must have high energy… So I can guarantee that if I happen to run into one of them, I probably will end up killing them for that energy." Everyone besides Aizen was shocked by her answer.

"That is all that I ask for." He told her with a victorious grin. "I can see that you are slowly but surely regaining your strength back. So I have decided that it should be safe enough for you to explore Las Noches without an escort to accompany you. Though I do request that you stay within the walls of the palace, it still is a very unsafe place here." Nicole perked up at hearing this. "On top of that, I recognize that you must find our uniforms very displeasing. So I have gone through the trouble of having something made that will better suit someone such as yourself. You will find the outfits in Ulquiorra's closet. I have instructed them to be put there. Assuming that you will remain in that room?" He wondered, there was something hidden behind his secretive depths, but she was unable to recognize what it was.

Was she going to stay in that room or request one of her own. She glanced at Ulquiorra. He did not look like he cared either way. He remained as emotionless as ever. Then her eyes dropped down to were the color of his coat covered part of his neck. She vividly recalled the sweet taste of his blood from that vein within his neck… "I think I will stay there. I rather like it." She answered Aizen, turning her gaze back towards him.

"Very well," He sounded pleased at hearing this. "That is all, you may all be dismissed."

**_Uh oh. The KittyCat has some freedom now c;_**

**_RATE AND REVIEW :D Thank you!_**


	12. Unexpected

_**So I realized when I first wrote about Nnoitra, I forgot that his Zanpakuto isn't actually a sword. It's that weird thingymabob… But I am far too lazy to go back and fix that… So pretend I didn't say sword before… LOL **_

_**Enjoy~**_

Chapter Twelve:

"Everyone is dismissed," Aizen said with a pleased smile on his face.

The instant that he said that, Nicole's body evaporated into thin air as she used her inhuman speed to bolt directly out of the door. A few of the Espada were startled by her sudden enthusiasm and speed. Even Ulquiorra was slightly startled when she just disappeared from her spot in the room. Their gazes were aimed at the now open doors that Nicole had not bothered closing behind her.

Aizen's shoulders shook with a faint chuckle as he watched her actions and how it left his other followers dumbfounded. "Lord Aizen," A fox faced, silver haired Shinigami who stood near Aizen spoke up, his own eyes still staring at the door. "Are you sure giving her any sort of freedom was a wise decision? What are you thinking?"

The handsome brown haired man let a false sincere smile play upon his lips. "Why Gin, are you doubting me?" Gin's lips curved into a doubtful frown. "I want her to think that she is becoming one of us. I want her to think that she fits in here. I want her to think of Hueco Mundo as her home, and the Arrancar as her family. If we succeed into getting that into her head, she will undoubtedly fight for my army."

Gin still frowned, not entirely convinced. "I am sorry for pressing, but are you not at all concerned about her escaping Hueco Mundo?"

Aizen's smile widened, his eyes glimmered with amusement. He folded his hands together, his elbows perched before him, and rested his chin against his folded hands. "No. Nicole is unable to create portals of her own. She, along with many other Youkai such as herself, use mirrors to jump back and forth between the worlds. That is why I made sure not to have any mirrors large enough for her to use as an escape present in the palace. The only one's of her family capable of creating a portal of their own is one of her brothers, and her parents."

The sly man's lips perked up into a small smile. "I see." He replied to Aizen, finally turning to glance over the profile of the brown haired Shinigami's face.

"This should be a rather interesting experiment…" Aizen murmured to himself. "Ulquiorra," He called, catching the pale Espada's attention quickly. The Cuatro Espada did not respond verbally, but Aizen knew that he was waiting for orders when his Emerald eyes landed on him. "I would like for you to try being a bit nicer to the girl. I am aware that you are probably not fond of her, but please, do take care of her. She is very… precious to me." Ulquiorra new that by 'precious', he really meant a valuable asset to his army, but that did not matter.

The raven haired Arrancar nodded in compliance and understanding. "Yes Sir." He replied before taking his turn and leaving with the rest of the Espada.

**_xXx_**

Nicole had made it back to her and Ulquiorra's room in no time at all. She rematerialized right in front of the door, startling a few of the servant lingering in the hall way. "Sorry!" She blurted out, flashing them an unintentionally threatening smile, baring her dangerously sharp fangs at them. A few of the servants gasped and jerked backwards, but she had not noticed, she had already pushed back the door and entered the room before she could observe their reactions.

She immediately leapt over to the closet and shoved the doors aside to reveal its contents. She was thrilled to see that there were plenty of new outfits inside, perfectly fitted to her size, just like Aizen had promised. All of the clothes were almost the opposite of the Espada uniforms, predominately black instead of white. Just like how she was used to wearing back in Hell. She let out an excited squeal and pulled out a pair of elastic black pants and a long sleeved black shirt with a low v-neck cut.

Not bothering to dash to the bathroom for more privacy in case anyone entered the room, she stripped her current clothing and threw on the new outfit. Her eyes wandered down, she twisted and turned to look over all of her body's luscious features. The clothes clung to her flesh, leaving little for the mind to wander, but yet still covered her completely. Naughty, yet somehow still modest.

Nicole hesitated for a moment. She did not want to stick out _too_ much… She glanced back into the closet and reached out for one of Ulquiorra's white, split tailed coats. _Why not… He won't mind._ With that decided, she slipped each of her fragile appearing arms into the coat's sleeves and tugged the jacket up onto her shoulders. She left the zipper down, liking it better when the coat was parted open.

"The new clothes suit you well." A familiar, detached voice commented. The female Kanara tensed for a moment, not realizing that her formed escort had entered the room. Relaxing quickly, she pivoted on her heels, spinning in a circle or two before coming to a stop and facing him.

"You think so?" A genuine smile spread across her lips. This smile was one of the rare one's that she offered, one that did not appear menacing or dangerous. He nodded in reply. "Thank you," She chimed twirling again.

"You seem rather… Happy." He stated matter-of-factly, his eyes never leaving her form. With a curious stare, he watched her spin on her toes, noticing how her discolored hair whipped her face as she did so, but she hardly even seemed to acknowledge it.

"I suppose I am." She told him, offering the closest thing to a sweet smile that she possibly could when she paused in mid-spin. "I am just trying to decide on something." She told herself more than she did him.

"What would that be?" He wondered aloud. He actually could not careless, but Aizen did say to be nicer to her…

"I am trying to decide what to do first. Should I go bother Grimmjow some more? Go harass other Arrancars? Explore all of the nooks and crannies hidden in the Palace?" She purred at the ideas, "There is just so many options now. Not like I wouldn't have still done them in the first place, but now this time, I don't have to worry about someone coming and scolding me for having some fun!" She exclaimed with mild excitement.

If he lacked self-control, his eye would have twitched at the mention of Grimmjow's name. What was her fascination with that Neanderthal? Why did she like tagging around with someone as obnoxious as him? An unfamiliar feeling crept over him, and he did his best to shake it off. What was this? Jealousy? Why was he jealous at all? There was no reason to be. He, Ulquiorra Cifer, did not feel anything- especially not jealousy. "I would advise you to stay away from that incompetent fool." He told her plainly.

Nicole smirked. "Why? Does it make you jealous that I hang out with him?" She deadpanned.

He felt a small twinge of annoyance at her words. "No. I am just warning you that it is ill advised to spend time with someone such as him."

In response to his words of warning, she stuck out her tongue at him in a rather childish manner. "Well _you're_ no fun." She pouted, but quickly recovered as a new idea came to mind. "Actually… I have a better plan of what to do today." A mischievous smirk played along her scarlet shaded lips. "A much better plan."

**_xXx_**

A blur of blonde and black zipped down the hall ways at an unnatural speed, never once faltering in pace. There was a small giggle that echoed off of the walls as the blob of color sped by.

"Hey you brat! Get back here!" Nnoitra sonidoed after the blur. The rage clearly showed on his currently contorted features.

The blur came to a slow when it came to a dead end. Nicole skidded to a halt before she hit the gleaming whitewashed wall. She turned to view her pursuer. A deceitfully charming smile played upon her lips. She maneuvered her hands behind her back, his weapon held in her tiny hands. "That's not a toy, give it back immediately!" He demanded, his single beady eye glaring at her as he came to a stop only a few feet in front of her. He slowly inched closer, trying to lure her into a fall sense of security.

"Aw what's wrong?" She teased, a smug grin present on her face. "Can't catch little old me? What happened to all of that big talk about being so much stronger than me? Did you lose your nerve as soon as your weapon was taken away from you?" She taunted, taking notice to each one of his subtle movements as her slowly approached her.

"You little bitc-" He started, but was cut off when the Youkai girl easily leapt over him and took off back down the way from which they came. A loud laugh could be heard as she rounded another far corner.

Grimmjow was leaning against the wall right outside of his bedroom. He had been watching the entire event unfold. He suppressed a chuckle. "Getting your ass kicked by a girl?" His comment was met with a hateful glare from the fifth Espada.

"Shut up," He replied harshly before continuing his chase after the girl. Grimmjow shrugged to himself before he decided that he had nothing better to do, so he followed after them to watch the entertainment.

_Damnit… When the hell did she get so fast? Last time she was so easy to over power, but this time…_ Nnoitra's eyes narrowed as he watched Nicole gracefully slide over the tile floor. She finally came to a standstill when she reached the center of a rather large- yet empty- meeting room. She made a sharp turn on her heels, bolting towards the Espada whom was hot on her trail. He came to an abrupt stop, shielding his face with his arms and expecting a direct attack from her. However, a blow to the face never came. Instead she zipped past him like a powerful gust of wind.

"Ha ha!" She howled with laughter as she paused next to the approaching Grimmjow. She held her stomach while she shook from her obvious amusement. "This is just too fun!"

"Why don't you go back to Hell where you belong you little bitch!" He snapped at her. Her mockery had him seething with anger. How dare someone as unworthy as her laugh at him… It was unheard of!

Her lips parted with another devilish grin, revealing her beastly sharp teeth. "No thanks," She purred out once her giggling ceased into silence, "The meals here are _much_ too tasty for me to want to leave anytime soon." Her mind flickered to the divine taste of Ulquiorra's blood. She licked her lips at the memory and shivered in delight. "So it looks like you are stuck with me for now." She taunted, her eyes gleaming with a devilish, yet playful undertone.

The black haired Espada gave her a look of disgust as he came to realization of what she was referring to. "Don't worry," He told her, his voice held a sarcastic tone of its own, "I'll kill the pale freak right after you leave, that way he can follow you straight to Hell! No one wants him here anyways!"

At that statement, something inside of her snapped. She wasn't sure why it happened, but her mood suddenly turned sour. _How dare this vile creature think he can threaten Ulquiorra!_ Her inner beast hissed in displeasure. Before she new what was happening, she found herself lounging at Nnoitra. In one quick and powerful thrust of her arm, she had forced the rod of Nnoitra's oddly shaped Zanpakuto straight through his abdomen, impaling him with his own weapon.

A pain filled gasp erupted from his throat, sounding more like a gurgle than anything due to the blood that began to clog his throat. They both looked down, their eyes simultaneously fixating on the rod that skewered him. She did not aim for any vital organs, so the wound was not fatal, but it was enough to cause agonizing pain. Her attentive eyes focused on the blood that soaked his white clothing and dripped down towards the floor.

After having her fill of violence, she glanced up to meet his eyes in a cold glare. All of the playful demeanor had left her, the only thing remaining in its place was seriousness. Her lips curled upwards to reveal her pearly white fangs as she let out a low, but feral growl. "Don't _ever_ say that again." She bit out each one of those words with a dramatic emphasis.

She yanked the weapon back out from his flesh and let it drop to the floor with a loud clank before she made a sharp turn on her heels and walked off. She paid very little attention to the fifth Espada as he eyed her receding back with bewilderment upon his expressions.

They both had the same thoughts buzzing through their minds: _what the hell had just happened? _Even Nicole was perplexed by her own actions. She had not expected to snap like that. Why would she get so defensive over someone who was not even technically her friend? She shook off the thought and continued her pace down the long halls, failing to notice the bluenette who fell into stride with her.

"Well you seem pretty touchy about that subject, now don't you?" Grimmjow commented with a beastly smirk, nearly making Nicole jump out of her skin. His sadistic smile slowly faded as he realized the confusion that lingered in her expressions. She seemed to be puzzled by her own actions, so maybe giving her a hassle about them was not the brightest idea at the moment. At the same time, Grimmjow was not particularly good at comforting people, so he did the next best thing. "Hey, I say we blow this joint and go to the training grounds." He suggested, his manic smile returning to its rightful place.

Nicole glanced at him and let out a breath that she wasn't even aware that she was holding. "That sounds fun." She could always count on that bloodthirsty manic to have her back.

**_xXx_**

She had always had raw power, but she was still incredibly underdeveloped in her skills. She had always had unimaginable potential, but she never really trained hard enough to learn how to control her strength. Her lack of skill was her greatest downfall.

Nicole leapt away from Grimmjow's katana when he brought it down with another strong swing, nearly slicing her right across the chest again. There was all ready an injury there that he had earlier inflicted, and it was bleeding profusely. Fresh blood strained the white coat which she had borrowed from Ulquiorra. _Damn he's good…_ She silently acknowledged.

She would have never imagined there to be such an interesting training ground in Las Noches. It was clearly artificial, but it was a extensively large rocky terrain type room, with fake skies and sunlight. She had never before seen anything like it. It looked like the room was endless, but surely it had its ends… right?

She jumped on top of a bolder, taking the high grounds while she glared down at Grimmjow. That manic smile was still in place, giving her a clear view of his appallingly sharp teeth. He was enjoying this. He was thrilled in knowing that he could still overpower her- and that irked her to no end. She wanted nothing more but to wipe that smug smirk off of his face. _She_ was the master race here, not him.

Without a second thought, she launched herself at him with her claws ready and lengthened. Just before she could reach him, he sonidoed out of the way and reappeared by her side. "Whatcha aiming at Kitten?" He asked her with utter amusement as he sliced open her outstretched arm.

She hissed in pain and jerked back the instant that the metal blade touched her skin, but she was not quick enough to evade his attack completely. More blood splattered on the ground as it gushed out of the new wound. Before she could comprehend what she was doing, her body acted on survival instincts and she had already jumped away from him, creating as much distance as she possibly could at that moment. "You're getting too cocky." She grumbled, her beautiful eyes narrowed with lethal intent as she watched him closely.

With vision as accurate as hers, she could see his moves coming the second that he initiated them. She could spot the subtle ripped of his muscles moving beneath his flesh from a mile away. That, however, did not mean that she was always quick enough to avoid his attacks. Predicting something was not always enough if you did not have the skill to maneuver around it.

"You haven't given me any reason on why I shouldn't be cocky!" He exclaimed with a howl of wicked laughter.

A feral growl emanated from her throat as she glared at the bluenette. That was the last straw. Mockery would not be tolerated. Before he had even stopped his chucking, she had darted towards him with unimaginable speed. Her sharpened claws found their way to his flesh and tore open his muscular chest. She had already jerked away before he was able to counteract. His once smug grin died down just the slightest bit.

"How's that?" She asked, a fanged smirk appearing on her lips as she watched the crimson liquid seep out of the wound she had inflicted.

He grunted at her, took a moment to glance down at the bleeding flesh. "Very amateur." He told her, earning a sudden scowl, "It's nothing more than a flesh wound. I was hoping that you could do better than that."

"I see." She murmured, her voice barely audible. Her fighting stance became more relaxed as she regained her composure. "Well I wouldn't want to disappoint you." In a flash of movement, she was already by his side, her dagger like nails tearing into the well developed muscle of his bicep in the process. He reacted quickly, swinging his Kanata in her direction, but she had disappeared before it reached her. Reappearing on the other side, she swiped her claws at his face, snagging his cheek.

This time, before he could react, she had managed to knock him onto his back. She straddled his sides as she sat upon his stomach. Her hands were wrapped around his wrists in an iron grip, and her mouth was right over the crook of his neck. He could feel the conical points of her canine teeth pressed against the artery of his neck. They remained like that for a few seconds, before a victorious smile finally broke out upon Nicole's face. "_I win." _She purred out in satisfaction.

She released her hold on him and rolled off to the side, laying on her back next to him. She turned her head so that she was staring at the side of his face. He was still panting hard, shocked at the events that had just occurred. "Not bad." He admitted when his breaths came to a slow. He turned his head so that he could get a better look at her. "Still not good, but not bad." He added in a taunting manner.

She choose to ignore him, the only acknowledgement she gave to his insulting complement was a roll of her eyes. Without further conversation, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the pain in her arm and chest. She focused on nothing more than healing those wounds which she had received in their little sparing match. A small sigh escaped her parted lips when the aching was alleviated.

Grimmjow watched her closely as she shut her eyes. He could tell by the tension in her facial features that she was concentrating hard on something. His turquoise eyes opened wide when he saw what appeared to be red mist rising from the injury located on her chest and arm. When the crimson vapor dissipated, there wasn't even a scratch still remaining. _Regeneration?_

Nicole smiled to herself once the pain was gone. _Much better._ Suddenly, she jolted back up into a sitting position and turned towards Grimmjow. Without permission, she leaned over him to touch his still bleeding chest wound. A faint, white glow emitted from her hand, and his torn flesh began to recover just like hers had. The instant that the Panther King saw the same scarlet vapor rising from his injuries, he jerked up and smacked her hand away. He cringed at the jolt of pain caused by his sudden movement, but quickly ignored it and glared at Nicole.

"What the hell are you doing?" He viciously snarled at her.

Nicole hesitated at seeing such a display of hostility. "What does it look like? I was healing you." She stared matter-of-factly. Her eyebrows furrowed as she intently stared at him. She couldn't even begin to understand what she had done to anger him.

His expressions darkened even more. "_I don't need your pity_," He hissed with a clear tone of aggression.

The vixen before him simply raised an eyebrow at his words. "Pity?" She had slapped him across the face so suddenly that he did not know what had hit him. "Dumbass. I'm not doing this out of pity. I'm doing this so that we can train some more tomorrow, on _fair_ ground. It wouldn't be much of a fight if I was just waling on an injured guy." She told him, her voice laced with annoyance as she shoved him onto his back once more and continued healing him. "Now just shut up and take it before I get angry and gouge out your pretty little eyes."

He seemed to relax a little at her words, but he still did not like it. Once she was done, she pulled away and continued to sit next to his side. A small yawn escaped her lips. "I'm kind of tired." She stated. He eyelids drooped, leaving her heavy lidded. "I'm going to go back to my room… A catnap sounds good. If you want to do this again later, I am all for it." She said with another yawn. She stretched out her arms before rising back onto her feet and leaving a very puzzled Grimmjow in the training room.

**_xXx_**

It had been a peaceful day- nothing whatsoever to ruin it. Nothing out of the ordinary… Until now.

Ulquiorra Cifer was pacing the halls with lack of purpose after checking on Orihime once more, so he decided to retire to his room. Funny that he had almost forgotten that he currently shared his chambers with another individual… Now he stood in his room, just a few steps passed his doorway, staring at the _girl_ taking residence in his king sized bed.

He was never one to complain. Only incompetent trash complained, it was their way of trying to compensate for their lack of flexibility and being able to adjust to the current situation. Yet at this moment he felt like expressing his distaste for her being there. She was not even one of them, yet here she was, acting like this place belonged to her. Just carelessly falling asleep in the beds of others… He had half of a mind to just pick her up and chuck her off of his bed, but then two things stopped him: the first thing to stop him were the repeating words of 'treat her nicely' that Lord Aizen had spoken not too long ago, and the second thing… Well the second reason why he could never do that was because at some level, deep down, he found it perfect for such a magnificently beautiful creature to be laying in his bed.

There could have never been a sight that screamed perfection any more than this. She was curled around herself, almost in a fetal position, yet something in the way she tucked herself into her own body definitely resembled a feline. Her small, almost frail form didn't move much, except for the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.

His gaze wandered up to her face. Never before had he laid eyes upon something so soothingly calm and serene… Her delicate features glowed a gentle ivory hue in the dim lighting, creating an unearthly aura around her. His eyes traced over each of her facial features as he carefully memorized them, forever branding her imagine into his memory. Her jaw line, which was usually set firm in frustration or in a pout, was currently relaxed as she slept. The shadow and highlight of her well defined cheekbones played nicely in giving her a more goddess-like stature.

He looked up at the long, black lashes that laid just over the tops of her cheeks. He was thankful for those lids concealing her eyes… Those gorgeous, soul piercing eyes. He felt an uncomfortable twinge in the region of his Hollow hole. Absentmindedly, he reached up to place the palm of his hand over the empty cavity of his chest. His once admiring gaze turned into a hateful glare.

This woman- this _creature_- was ruining him. This unsettling pain in his chest only tormented him when his thoughts lingered around her. She was breaking him, destroying everything that he stood for. All of these years, he had worked so hard to be the perfect predator; he had no emotions, no regrets, no sympathy… Yet here this measly girl was, making him experience things that he never even thought were possible for someone like himself. Better yet, she seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact that she had such a great effect on him.

He hated her and everything that she did to him. Somehow though, he recognized that the only reason that he so desperately reminded himself that he hated her, was because of the fact that he found himself incapable of actually harboring such foul emotions towards her at all…

As if his body was acting on its own accord, he soon found himself cautiously approaching the sleeping girl. His emerald eyes fixated on her discolored hair that was fanned out across one of the pillows. The black and strawberry blonde highlights in her hair were stark in contrast to the white of the pillowcase. Without any thought, he reached out with one pale hand to gently caress the mismatched strands of silky hair. He wrapped a lock around one of his slender fingers, his viridian eyes narrowing to watch her as he did so.

She did not respond to the gentle tugs on her hair. She remained in a deep, dormant slumber. He let the lock that was curled around his forefinger fall back down before he continued to stroke her silky hair. Eventually she started to emit a satisfied purr. Almost on command, he stopped his movements and pulled his hand away from her as she started to open her multicolored eyes.

Her black lashes fluttered open and her throat still rumbled with a gentle purr. She stretched out her limbs, uncurling her body from around itself before she glanced up to see green eyes staring down at her. "_Ulquiorra,"_ She murmured in mid-purr, making him have to suppress a shiver that tickled his spine at the sound of his name coming from her in such a state.

She rolled onto her back, lazily reaching up with one of her hands to touch the unnaturally pale flesh of his cheek. Her touch seemed almost hesitant as she carefully rested her palm against the side of his face. Without giving it a second thought, she let her thumb wander over the teal tear marks that stained his velvety skin. "What are you doing in here?" She wondered, her voice still faint from being so tired.

"It's my room." He replied in a low voice, just above a monotoned whisper.

She didn't reply to that, seeming content with that answer. Her eyelids suddenly felt so much heavier. Slowly, she allowed her eyes to once more slide shut. Her tiny hand slowly dropped from his face, only stopping when it once more reached its rightful place on top of her chest.

Though the vibrations from her purring tuned down just a bit, they were still present. At the moment, she was happy. Perhaps it was just because she was exhausted…

No, it was more than just being tired. "Ulquiorra…" She purred out again with her eyes still closed. "Lay down with me." It was more of a command than a suggestion, but with a voice as sweet as hers, he could not refuse.

He took his place on the mattress beside her, laying on his side as he stared at her with curiosity detectable in his emerald green depths. At feeling the small dip in the mattress, she scooted closer to him, and turned onto her side so that she was facing him. Her eyelids parted half way and she stared up at him with a pleading expression. It was clear to her that he did not fully understand what her begging eyes were asking for, so as if to answer his unasked question, she reached up with one of her hands to cup the side of his neck.

A thrill rushed through her when she felt the faint beating of a pulse against her palm. Yes, that was what she wanted. That was what made her happy. Recognition flashed through his expression, he angled his head to the side, exposing his neck to her without further inquiring. Though he would never in his lifetime admit it, he felt the same thrill of excitement that she did. He longed for that pleasurable sensation from the last time that she fed to reoccur.

It only took a second for her fangs to find his vein. She sunk her sharpened canine teeth into the his skin and happily suckled at the blood that spilled from the puncture wound. She found herself thoughtlessly pressing herself closer to him as if that would make the blood spill faster. Her slender arms snaked around his chest as she gripped him to her as if her life depended on it.

It took everything he had in him to not groan when she bit him. There it came, that same extraordinary feeling. The instant that her fangs pierced his flesh, a wave of pleasure passed over him. Her gentle suckling and adoring purrs overwhelmed him with the most desirable sensation that he had ever felt. He noticed as her arms slipped around him, her fragile fingers hooked into dangerous claws that kneaded his upper back and shoulder blades. In response to her actions, he could no resist wrapping his thin, but muscular arms around her narrow waist.

"_Hmm…" _She happily hummed as the sweet liquid traveled down her throat. Moments later, she found herself pulling away. She wanted something _more._

He watched her as she pulled away. Her mismatched eyes met his emerald orbs in an almost passionate stare. He faintly noticed a trail of red that leaked from her scarlet colored lips, staining a line down her chin. The way that she looked at him had his stomach doing back flips. _What did she want from him?_ That was a question that they were both asking themselves.

Finally, her eyes fell down to his bicolored lips. She stared at them intently, fascinated by the black and white of his lips. _Was that what she wanted? _It had not taken him long to realize what she was so preoccupied with. He found himself leaning in closer to her. Her honeysuckle breath, tinted with the sultry scent of his blood tickled the flesh of his face. Her lust filled eyes flickered back up to meet his. She was pleased to find the same desire and longing in his stare.

Her gaze fell back down to his lips, which were only mere inches away from her own. She was probably going to regret this…

Before she could think any further into the subject, she had already closed the space between them, capturing his lips in a ravenous kiss. Scarlet red met black and white in a passionate battle for dominance. Neither one of them took notice to the fact that the blood that had dribbled from her lips was now smearing onto both of them.

She nipped at his bottom lip with her sharp teeth, silently begging for entrance. He generously complied, parting his lips so that her tongue could explore the inside of his mouth. Her tongue was so sweet; he licked at it with his own.

No.

Something inside of her snapped, and realization of what was occurring struck her like a lightening bolt. She jerked herself away as quickly as possible, ungracefully untangling herself from him, which caused her to stumble off of the bed and fall onto the ground. Her eyes frantically darted around the room as if she were startled and confused on how she had gotten there. She reached up to touch her palm against her chest. _Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump._ Her heartbeat was so rapid that she found herself concerned, wondering if it was going to at any minute pop out of her chest.

Finally, she forced herself to look up at the pale skinned Espada that was staring at her. He was confused to say at the least. Her eyes fell on his lips, she took note at the blood that she had accidentally smeared onto him, painting his lower white lip a deep coppery red. She reached up with her free hand that was not holding her chest and touched her own lips, surprised to find them slightly swollen from his kisses.

No.

It really had happened. She knew that from the beginning, yet she had hoped that maybe it was just a dream. "I-I…" She stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence in her current state, "I h-have to g-go!" She managed to get out, choking on her own words a couple of times. She leapt to her feet and bolted for the door, but was unpleasantly surprised by Ulquiorra's hand gripping her by the bicep and throwing her against the wall. She let out a gurgled gasp and glanced up at him with wide eyes.

He had not meant to roughhouse her so much, but he couldn't resist. He found himself seething at the fact that she would abandon him after violating him in such a way. "_Onna,_" He hissed, his smoldering glare searing its impression into her memory.

"L-let go of me!" The falter in her voice was not missed. She jerked her arm away and slapped his face, managing to snag her claws on his cheek in the process. Three thin lined scratches marked his white face; he stared at her in bewilderment. Before he could question her, she found herself already running out of the door and down the hall.

_**Dun Dun Dun DUNN! O:**_

_**Relationship problems already and they aren't event together DX Goshhh.**_

_**Haha, Until Next Time!**_

_**R&R!**_


	13. Curiosity Disgusted the KittyCat

_**Thank you so much to FanGirl1567, MLPKayla, Demon Neko-Chan Michaelis and Titania5100 for all of your wonderful reviews 3 They really made me smile! Haha! I hope that you all continue to enjoy what I am writing^^, and I look forward to hearing from you some more in the future.**_

_**Also, I noticed that fanfic has been not showing the little place markers I use for time skips… So I am sorry if it gets confusing, I will try fixing that DX Eviiiiilll fanfic… Plotting against me… -pouts-**_

_Chapter Thirteen: Curiosity Disgusted the KittyCat_

_What in the hell had just happened?_

Nicole found herself repeating that question over and over again in her head. Once she had bolted out of her and Ulquiorra's room, she blindly ran off until she eventually found herself outside, sitting a roof of one of the many giant pillars that made up Las Noches. She kept silent, with a perplexed expression on her face. She pulled her knees up to her chest as she sat and hugged herself.

Was she going insane? Surely she had to be. She kissed him. Even worse, she _liked_ kissing him. It felt so right… And that was exactly why it was so wrong. Youkai such as herself mate for life. That was one of the several things that made her kind so much more evolved than Hollows. She cannot be getting intimate with someone not worthy of her affection… He was still under evolved, the same rules of bonding did not apply to him. Bonding with him in anyway beyond that of friendship would be a fatal mistake.

At that moment, she decided that she had to do everything to crush these blooming feelings. Where were these feelings coming from anyways? He was a total ass to her… But his blood… It tasted so amazing. Was that all this was about? His blood? Was she starting to get attached to him only because he _tasted_ good? She nearly gagged at the thought. _I am so disgusting…_

She remained there like that for quite some time, scolding herself and belittling all of her developing emotions. She didn't like him, she liked his _flavor._ She had to learn the difference.

She couldn't help but to let her mind wander back to the look in his eyes from right before she kissed him. _Those eyes…_ Those gorgeous green eyes had held so much desire within them. While they were usually so cold and distant, at that moment they held a passionate longing within them. Maybe he wasn't so heartless after all… Even more, when she kissed him, he kissed back. She would have never, in a millions years that that heartless bastard would so much as even contemplate touching a woman in such a way. Perhaps she was wrong about him. Perhaps he was more evolved than she thought. Perhaps… He had some form of emotions…

She vigorously shook her head, trying to rid herself of that very thought. _What is wrong with me…_

A pungent scent hit her nose, interrupting her deep thought. She lifted her head from resting on her folded arms and began to sniff the air. _What is that smell?_ She silently wondered. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nostrils. The fragrance seemed strangely familiar… yet at the same time drastically different. After pondering her own thoughts, she was finally able to put her finger on what the scent reminded her of. She was almost positive that the smell was very close to that of that red headed prisoner girl. It was the scent of a defective human. It was different from Orihime's though. If she had to guess, it belonged to a male…

She took an abrupt stand, trailed her way over to the edge of the roof and looked off to the direction from which the scent was originating from. It wasn't too far off, just a little beyond the limits of where Aizen had told her to stay…

She leapt off of the roof, gliding through the air as she descended down to the desert flooring. No one would notice her being gone for just a short amount of time. She was just curious, all she was going to do was take a quick peek to see what was giving off that smell… She landed on the sand with a gentle thud, crouching her knees to lighten the impact on her joints.

Not long after her landing, she took off in the direction her desired destination. Instead of using her Youkai speed, she dashed at a more moderate pace, savoring every moment of her travel. She had nothing better to do, and she was in no rush. She leapt over the ground, covering a large amount of ground with just one push off. She continued at that same pace, enjoying the feeling of the cold desert breeze that whisked around her hair, tangling it beyond repair.

Even with taking her sweet time, she still seemed to arrive where she wanted to far too soon. She came to a stop when she saw a figure making a mad dash for one of the buildings attached to Las Noches. With squinted eyes and a hand raised to block the sand from intruding her vision, she noticed that the figure was in fact male.

He was much more muscular and well built that what she was used to seeing. Unlike Ulquiorra who had a stark white complexion, this male had sun kissed tan skin, and wavy brown hair. He was noticeably tall for a human. Though what had caught her interest more than anything else was the black and red armor that covered his right arm. _He's even more defective than the last one…_ She mentally noted to herself.

Chad was staring at the girl when she came into view, and he was definitely shocked. This girl was beautiful. With her strawberry blonde hair with a few hints of black here and there, and two separately colored eyes… This girl was undoubtedly gorgeous. She was thin, and had a slender build, but none the less she was very proportional and had just the right amount of curves. His eyes glanced over her lengthy form, slightly widening when he noticed that she was lacking a mask and Hollow hole… He glanced back up into her mismatched eyes- left eye a jade green, right eye a turquoise blue. What was she?

He must have noticed her, because he came to a skidding halt the instant that she came into his view. The look on his face was obviously one of surprise. His eyes had fallen wide, and his mouth was slightly agape. He was staring directly at her. Nicole attentively stared back, being very cautious. "Are… Are you human?" She finally heard him speak up in a low voice.

Her eyes twitched in annoyance. _Human?_ Her inner Youkai seethed. Why was everything here thinking that she was a damn _human_ out of all things? Were they stupid? Purely on instinct, her nails flexed into claws at the 'insult'. "What did you just call me…" She hissed, her voice low and threatening. Her feline like eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as she stared at him.

He was slightly taken back by the sudden change in her demeanor. She went from mildly curious, to positively lethal within seconds. He raised his hands before him and waved them in a defensive manner. "Look lady, I don't want to hurt you. I am just confused on why someone who is clearly not a soul reaper or an Arrancar is here…" He trailed off, his eyes glancing at her sharpened claws for a moment.

"What's your name, kid?" She asked, her tone still sounding much to harsh.

"It's Sado…"

"Well, _Sado_, I think I might just have to make you pay for that insult." She growled out, glaring directly at him.

It looks could kill, he would be long gone.

"Insult?" Chad hadn't meant to insult her. He had not had much time to ponder over his thoughts, because she was charging at him within seconds. Taken back by her inhuman speed, he was barely able to dodge the swipe of her deadly claws that aimed for his neck. He stumbled to the side and glanced at her with a startled expression clearly on his face. She definitely _wasn't_ human…

Nicole was somewhat impressed. Not only had he successfully avoided her first attack, but he managed to evade the neck few kicks and punches that she threw at him too. She lunged forwards, finally connecting a curled fist with his jaw. A small smirk appeared on her face when she sent him tumbling backwards. A small amount of blood spurted from his lips, a few droplets landing on her knuckles. She watched him fall into a sitting position, his eyes still wide in shock. "Why don't you fight back?" She asked with amusement.

"Lady, I really don't want to fight you…" He repeated.

"Hmph," She scoffed, raising her curled fist to her lips. A wicked glint made itself known in her eyes as she flicked out her tongue in order to clean off the splattered blood. The sinister amusement quickly disappeared after the crimson liquid was cleaned up by her tongue.

This blood… It was _disgusting!_ Her smug smirk had quickly fallen, she opened her mouth wide, letting her tongue dangle out as she vigorously spat out the repulsive liquid. She groaned in disgusted before dropping to her knees. She refused to swallow any of this blood… Surely if she did, it would be the death of her.

Chad stared at her, confused beyond all belief. "Are you okay?" What the hell had just happened?

Nicole groaned. That figures. Since he was still human- even with his 'defectiveness'- he probably did not have enough spirit energy to satisfy her. The result: his life force and energy was the most repulsive thing she had ever tasted. "Just… go." She grumbled. It wasn't worth it. She only had promised killing any intruders if they truly had high energy. This guy… it just wasn't worth it.

He blinked a few times before slowly nodding and taking his leave. Nicole remained on the ground, trying to rid herself of the horrible taste in her mouth. "Uhg…" She grunted. She should have stayed in bed today… Back with Ulquiorra.

Nicole shuddered when that thought crossed her mind. Of course.. There her mind went again, wandering back to that tasty Espada. Damn… She really knew how to get herself into difficult situations.

**_xXx_**

_**So this chapter I mostly did for my friend XD She has been a big help in me writing this… Always listening to me yammer on about my stories, and helping my form plots and ideas. Haha anyways, hope that you enjoyed it… Even if it is a little short. Don't worry though, the chapters are about to get a lot longer. I plan on things getting way more intense. Pretty soon they will be leaving Hueco Mundo, and this this story will be much more… Original (or at least as original as a fanfic based off of an anime can be XD). And then you get to meet my other OCs :D YAAAAY! **_

_**Review please(:**_


	14. Sickness

**Enjoy~!**

Chapter Fourteen: Sickness

_'Why does this always happen to me?'_

Nicole was back in her room now, curled up on the bed and smothered by a sea of blankets. That defective human's blood was so utterly repulsive that it had caused her to fall ill. Which was a huge shock. She had never once prior in her life fallen victim to sickness. Part of the plus side of being a half breed was that she was highly immune to diseases. But now, here she was, as sick as a dog. She felt completely hopeless.

Did he somehow poison her? Surely he had... She rolled over onto her left side, huddling into a fetal position. As over dramatic as it probably sounded, she was almost positive that she was going to die from this. _'How tragically amusing, death by a human...' _What am insulting cause of death.

Of course, she was not dying, but having that knowledge did not cease her internal complaints. Her stomach let out an unsettling gurgle, earning a grunt in reply from her.

Maybe she could just sleep it off...

xXx

_'I-I have to g-go!' _

Those words continuously resonated through Ulquiorra's head, taunting his very thoughts from that moment forward. She was scared, that was a fact that he was unable to miss. The fear in her eyes was as clear as day. Where did that fright originate from though? He had tried before to scared her, but to no avail. So why now, when there was absolutely no reason to be consumed by fright, did she look at him with such terror?

Was it him that she was fearful of? His mind flashed back to those glamorous, multicolored eyes and how they were at the time contorted with such distraught that it was almost unrecognizable upon her features. No... That wasn't it. A small amount of relief washed over him.

He tensed up as realization hit him. Why was he glad that she was not frightened by him? Just the other week, he would have relished in the idea that he was the root of such dreadful emotions stirring up within her. So what had happened between then and now to change that? Had she really so effectively broken him? The thought bothered him beyond all belief.

Without him wanting it to, his mind subconsciously drifted back towards the memory of the intimate moment that they had shared. If he had lacked any sense of self control, his hand would have twitched towards his lips in reaction as he recalled her soft touch. _'Like kissing a sinful angel..._' It was almost laughable how true that was. He did not know how else to describe the feel of her other than sinfully angelic. Two counter opposites mixed into one unbelievably perfect creature...

She had kissed him with such smoldering passion that it was almost alarming. Her overwhelming desire made itself clear the instant that her lips met his. He had liked that. He enjoyed how instead of her lips yielding to his, they held their own strength and molded to fit his perfectly. There was a noticeable amount of dominance in her actions that truly spoke volumes to him. It was clear that she was a woman worthy of standing by one's side. Determined, beautiful, and strong...

Yet there was also a subtle amount of innocence that was hidden beneath the frenzied passion. There was an underlying kindness about her. Something that just screamed acceptance and love. It was so different from the other impression she left, but he also found it to be the perfect compliment to her vixen qualities.

There was a sudden tightness in his chest as it began to ache. If he had had a heart, he could have been deceived into thinking that some unknown force was physically strangling it. There that pain was again. Every time he thought about her, that surge of tightness that constricted around his theoretical heart made itself known.

_'I have to go!'_

His frown deepened when those words continued to repeat in his mind. He had wanted to follow after her even though she made it plainly clear that she did not want him to. Why? All that he could now do was continuously ponder over the simple question 'why?'.

He should not have cared. He should not have bothered even giving it so much as a second thought. She was a useless creature that was driven by carnal instincts, and he just so happened to be the person whom she released her pent up desire upon. He was nothing more than an object of desire to her. And he was simply following orders to 'be nicer to her', so he did not bother to push her away. The occurrence that had taken place should have been as easily explainable as that. Except... It wasn't.

No, something unique had happened. Ulquiorra was not a man so dense that he would have failed to recognize that. Another clutching ache resonated through his body, originating from his chest and spreading throughout his center.

That was it.

She had broken him.

He was damaged beyond repair.

The worst part was, that he knew deep down, that he did not want to be fixed.

'No better than trash...'

"Ulquiorra." He had heard his name, but he did not fully register that someone was speaking to him. The call of his name was almost immediately pushed to the back of his mind as he continued to ponder of the distressful thoughts that centered around Nicole.

"Ulquiorra?" Aizen called out again, finally snapping the pale skinned Espada out of his daze. His emerald eyes shot up to meet the warm brown eyes of his master. What had he asked again? He raked his mind for the answer. That's right, he asked about Nicole. He wanted to know if Ulquiorra saw progress in the Kanara's loyalty towards them.

"Hai... I do believe that she has made much progress. She seems to... View Las Noches as more of a home like figure now." He answered his master in a calm, even voice. A voice that drastically betrayed his rambling mind. That much was true. It was obvious that Nicole found value in some of the things and people in Las Noches.

"Very good," The words rolled off of Aizen's tongue with satisfaction. A knowing smile perked the corners of his lips as he glanced over his most prized Espada. "Are you feeling well Ulquiorra? If I didn't know any better, I would believe that you were distracted by something."

"I am fine Aizen-sama." That was a lie.

"I am glad." Another lie.

Nnoitras let out a loud, overdramatic scoff from across the room before mumbling the side comment, "Maybe he should be taken off of the job of being the half-breeds caretaker. It's obvious that he's always getting distracted now, probably by his sexual fantasies of that little bitch." Ulquiorra let his blank stare fall to the other side of the conference table. He watched the fifth Espada as he complained. If only he knew how close to being accurate he actually was...

Ulquiorra paid no mind to the babbling idiot as he continued to shoot off insults. He turned his gaze back towards his master and awaited for further questioning or instruction. "There is no need for harsh words," Aizen intervened, "I am positive that if Ulquiorra was having any sort of difficulty with the task at hand, he would have resigned himself long ago. Right, Ulquiorra?"

"Yes." Lying was becoming too easy of a habit...

With that last statement said, the meeting conversation continued flowing smoothly, not being disturbed by any further unnecessary commentary. A few short minutes later, Lord Aizen dismissed the small gathering back to their regular routinely duties.

That was when Ulquiorra found himself in a rather complicated predicament. He had arrived back to his quarters, only to discover that Nicole had returned. That hardly bothered him, because he had previously recognized that situation as a probability. He had earlier decided that as soon as she came back, he would just respond to her by giving her the 'cold shoulder'. But how could he do that now, with a situation like this?

Nicole was currently in the bathroom attached to their room, her body arched over the edge of the toilet as she vomited blood. Ulquiorra could hear the purging all the way from the other room; he calmly made his way to the bathroom doorframe. He soundlessly approached her, being sure not to alarm her.

Nicole finally pulled away, letting out a pitiful groan as she slid back into a heap on the cold, white tile floor. Her body was covered in a thin layer of sweat. The perspiration caused her skin to glisten in the dim lightening of the room. Her breathing was heavy and labored, and the distress that she was experiencing was written all over her face.

She looked absolutely horrible. There were dark circles underneath her eyes, and her skin was a wanly pale shade. Her bangs clung to her damp face, and blood trailed down her chin and neck from when she had been throwing it up. She was sick.

"Onna?" He called out softly, being sure not to startle her. She flinched at hearing his voice, and coughed wildly as she choking on more blood. He watched as she uncontrollably spewed out more crimson, staining the tile scarlet with the droplets that escaped her lips. He crouched down by her side, reaching over to lightly press his palm to her forehead.

She was burning up. His cool skin felt nice against hers. She found herself leaning in closer to his touch, craving the soothing effect that it possessed. "Ulqu…" Her voice trailed off during mid-word as she found herself unable to speak without her voice breaking. She shifted her distraught gaze up to him, her eyes silently pleading for him to make this horrible feeling go away.

Her green and blue eyes that were usually so full of life were dull from exhaustion and stress. He felt his chest clench again at seeing her in such a state. _What happened to her? _She did her best to pick herself up off of the ground, but only came crashing back down in the process. Ulquiorra caught her before she could hit the tile flooring. "Onna… What happened?" He asked in a low voice, looking over her fragile form as she leaned into him for support.

"Human… Poisonous blood… Disgusting… Sick." She tried to explain, but her explanation only came out in broken pieces. Nicole clutched onto him for dear life, knowing that without his support, she would be hurdling back towards the ground.

He frowned at her words. Without further inquiry, he had lifted her in his arms, carrying her bridal style back towards the bedroom. He made such an effort to be gentle as he brought her back to their bed. He glanced over the white sheets and white pillows, noticing splatters of blood here and there from when she must have originally started vomiting.

He made his way to lay her down on the side of the bed that was void of any stains, but was stopped when she grasped onto his shirt, refusing to part with him. "Ulquiorra…" She murmured, her voice barely audible. He paused, glancing down at the ill Hanyou that he held in his arms. Her head rose slowly as she attempted to look up at him. "I'm…" Her eyelids were drooping from exhaustion, and her features were distorted with pain. "…sorry." She weakly finished with a struggled breath of air.

'_I'm sorry.'_

The words repeated in his head and he blinked once. Sorry? For what? Even though he had not spoken the words, it was as if she had read his mind. With slight difficulty, she lifted one of her hands to touch the cheek that she had earlier slapped. He understood then.

He did not speak any words of forgiveness, but she knew that he had forgiven her. The instant that she had touched him, his grip on her tightened ever so slightly. His normally cold, distant eyes held a certain amount of softness in them. A softness that was only reserved for her…

She raised her head a little more, inching closer to his lips.

She was about to kiss him again. He knew that he should have intervened and prevented it. But he also knew that he didn't actually want to stop it… He watched her with curious emeralds, only to find himself slowly inching closer to her.

Until the moment was ruined.

A steady stream of crimson suddenly dribbled down her chin from her scarlet lips. She drooped her head, resting it on his chest and tucking it under his chin. "I'm sorry… Again." She whispered, her blood soaking the front of his white jacket.

He almost let out a sigh. "It's of no consequence." He replied quietly before turning on his heels and making his way back to the bathroom with her in his arms. He carefully laid her down in the bathtub and began to run the cold water through the shower head.

Her clothes were soaked, but she did not care. The cool water felt nice. Nicole watched with heavy lidded eyes as the diluted blood drifted down the drain. With her last bit of strength, she returned her eyes back to viewing the pale skinned Espada. She was wrong before. It was okay to feel things for him… Because now it was plainly obvious, there was hope for him.

xXx

_**I AM SO SORRY FOR SUCH A LATE UPDATE DX AND I AM SORRY THAT IT IS KIND OF SHORT DDDDX!**_

_**But I have been freakishly busy ;_; **_

_**Good news those! I GOT A JOB!**_

_**And I am starting college tomorrow(:  
**_

_**Hopefully since I am starting school again, I can get back into the swing f things! For some reason, I am more dedicated to writing when I am in class... Probably because I prefer it over actual work XD Haha**_

_**Well as always, let me know what you guys think(:  
**_

_**I am sorry for Ulquiorra being so... UnUlquiorra like... lol but seriously, If I stuck with him being like how he is in the manga, we wouldn't get anywhere._. **_

_**Review please(: ~!**_


	15. Painful Truth

_**Random Reader: Thanks! Goodluck to you too! I just started Monday. College is almost just like high school, but almost simpler! Haha I hope you have fun!**_

_**FanGirl1567: Thanks for all of your feed back and reviews :D I love hearing from you so much! It always makes me smile! Haha**_

_**ENJOY~**_

Chapter Fifteen: Painful Truth

Nicole was in a peaceful slumber. After a long night that consisted of throwing up blood and nearly hacking up a lung, she finally was able to rest soundly. Ulquiorra stayed nearby, watching her closely incase any more problems popped up.

He internally sighed as he watched her sleep on his newly sheeted bed. Here was this beautiful girl again, once more taking residence in his bed… And now it seemed even more perfect than before. He was brought out of his thoughts when she shifted in her sleep and slowly began to come to.

"Hmm…" She murmured as she stirred. Her eyes fluttered open as she unseeingly stared up at the ceiling above her. For a minute she was confused, but then the previously night slowly came back to her. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she remembered how kind and tender Ulquiorra had been to her the previous day.

She blinked a few times until her vision cleared. A small gasp escaped her lips when she saw a pair of brilliant emerald orbs staring down at her with curiosity. It was too late for her to hide the faint blush that dusted over her usually pale cheeks. Her face flushed the instant that she realized he was leaning over her and watching her closely. Almost too closely.

"Onna, your face is turning unusual colors again… Are you still ill?" He questioned, surprising her when she detected a small amount of caring in his words.

This caused her to only blush more. "Uhh…" She stammered, her eyes darted away from his. "No, I am fine now," she added after a moment. The blood faded from her rosy cheeks, returning them back to their natural ivory hue. She glanced back at him.

Last night she had seen something in him that had given her some hope. Even as small as it was, she still saw some amount of concern. After the previous night, she was now positive that he had some side to him that was almost human. Though it was buried deep, _deep_ down… Nonetheless, it was still there.

He had leaned away from her, creating a more comfortable distance between them, but his dark green eyes never once left her form. There was this expression on her face that he wasn't quite able to read… Was it hope? What a useless thing… Regardless, he continued to observe her, trying to decipher the possible meaning to the new emotion. Finally he gave up in trying to figure it out himself. "Onna, what are you thinking?"

Nicole blinked a few times. He wanted to know what was on her mind? That was a first. He generally seemed like a person that never cared what was going on in other people's minds. "I…" She began hesitantly. A warm smile took hold of her face. "I was just thinking about going for a walk or something… You should come with me." She decided. He did not respond to her statement. This obviously was not as interesting as he thought it would be. "You should…come with me." She added.

"What for? Aizen said you are perfectly capable escorting yourself around Las Noches." He commented.

She nearly giggled at his reply. He was so distant, and so clueless. It was laughable. "I know that. But I want company. So join me."

"I have more important duties to attend."

Nicole's lip puckered in a pout. "But this would make me so happy! Please come?" She plead, giving him the more adorable begging puppy eyes that she could manage.

"Fine." Aizen had told him to be nice. Perhaps this fit the category of being nice to her.

The blonde haired beauty suddenly gave him a wolfish grin and leapt up from her bed. "Alright, let's go!"

_**XxXxX**_

Nicole had found herself back on one of the many great pillars that formed Las Noches. She was sitting with her legs dangling over the edge. Her hair blew in the gentle winds, and her skin glistened in the dim moonlighting. The only difference this time, was that Ulquiorra had accompanied her.

He stood behind her. With a straight spine and squared shoulders, and his hands tucked deep inside of his pockets. His emerald eyes bored into the Nicole's back as he simply stared at her. He was still trying to figure her out.

At the beginning, he had thought that she was a simple minded creature. She was driven irrational emotions, she was irresponsible, and undoubtedly foolish. But now he saw more to her. She was far more complex than he had originally assumed. She had many sides to her, and for some reason, he was dying to understand all of them.

"You know I love heights like this." She spoke up, breaking the awkward silence. He did not speak in return, but she knew that he was paying attention. That was something that he was good at. "I always have. Ever since I was a kid. Probably because my Youkai side takes after a feline… Heh." A tired smile tugged at the corners of her lip. Still no response. So she just kept talking to fill the void. "I think it's kind of funny. We all come from the same bloodline, all have the same father… Yet each one of us was born with completely different abilities, and we all take after different animalistic characteristics. My own twin is the complete opposite of me. I am a feline, and he is a canine. While my older brother is a snake," She made a face at recalling the fork tongued personality of her oldest brother, "And my youngest brother is most relatable to something like a… crow."

Ulquiorra may not have been speaking, but he was paying close attention to everything that she was rambling about. "Then my sister… Well she no longer has any Youkai blood to take after. So she's different from us. And I guess my oldest brother is sort of… different too." An almost sad smile made itself known upon her face.

"You told Lord Aizen before that your oldest sibling was a full breed. How is that possible if the rest of you are not? If he from a different mother?" He decided to ask. It was clear that she wanted him to make conversation, and this was the best that he could come up with.

"No. Youkai mate for life. He is from the same mother as I am. But he… He has always been different." There was a long silence as he continued for her to continue, and she pondered over what to reveal to him. She let out a loud sigh and decided that the truth couldn't do much damage. "He was originally born with a twin sister, just like the rest of us. We are all born with an opposite gender twin. I am unsure why, but it just happens. My oldest brother, Colin, used to be my best friend. But even back then, he was always a bit off.

"He was always more violent than the rest of us. Turned out that the reason why he was so aggressive was because his Youkai half was overwhelming the Tenshi side of him. When something like this happens, it tends to drive someone to insanity. Imagine having two sides to you, and then one side completely destroys the other and creates an unbalance… It's sort of like that.

"He eventually got to the point where all that matter to him was murder and mayhem. He found an unnatural thrill in slaughter. He completely lost his mind. But at least he never had hurt any of us in the family…" She stopped, feeling an unfamiliar sting in her eyes. Tears. She had not cried in a long time. She held them back and fought through it. "Until one day when his twin sister, Saria, told him that she had decided to be purified and turned into a full Tenshi.

"The instant that she gave him the news, he snapped like a twig. I guess it was just natural instinct… He was converting into a full blooded Youkai, and if she became a full blooded Tenshi, than she would have been considered his natural enemy…" Her voice died down to a whisper. "So… He killed her. Tore out her heart. With no regret. No remorse. Instead of sorrow, he just wore a smile on his face."

Ulquiorra took in this new information, watching closely as her shoulders tensed as she continued on with her story. After a few seconds passed by, her muscles relaxed. "He hasn't since hurt any of us. But we all know that he would if we ever got in his way or provoked him. Since that day, he has turned into a complete sociopath."

"I see." He shifted his stare away from her, choosing to stare at the scenery before them instead. "No one chose to… exterminate him?"

"He is our own blood. I don't think any of us could bring ourselves to do that."

"He did it." He stated plainly.

Her body went rigid once more. "I know. But an eye for an eye would make the whole world blind. Besides… I still would like to believe that there is hope for him." She murmured the last part. "At times I feel lonely now. Not having him as a friend… All of my childhood, I always had him. But now… he's so always so close, yet so incredibly far." They fell back into a calm silence. Both of them stared off at the white plains of Hueco Mundo.

"Ulquiorra?" She whispered his name. "Have you… ever felt lonely?"

That question startled him, though of course he did not outwardly reveal that. He glanced back at her. His mind flashed back to the memories of being a Hollow. He recalled the feeling of being different, of being lost. Of being all alone. He remembered the feeling of having no purpose. No reason for existence… Until Aizen came alone.

He was quite for a long while, so Nicole did not expect him to reply. She sighed a bit to herself. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she was imaging the small bit of humanity she had sworn she had detected.

Ulquiorra was reluctant to answer, but he finally did. "…Yes."

Nicole froze in her spot. Her multicolored eyes opened wide. She turned her head and jutted out her chin so that she could gawk at him. "What?" She blurted out from shock.

He avoided eye contact, averting his emerald orbs from her curious gaze. "I understand that word well." He told her in a soft, monotone voice.

_**XxXxX**_

'_Yes.'_

'_I understand that word well.'_

He had decided to part with her shortly after speaking those words. Finally telling her that he had business to attend to, leaving her baffled by his confession. Perhaps she was reading too much into it, but she was so sure now. There was hope for him. Someone who could feel the pain of loneliness could learn to feel other things.

After much deep thought, she smiled to herself. The way that she saw it, it was her job to help him learn these new things. She could do this. She could.

She was pacing the halls, blindly walking around as she pondered over their last conversation. This place… She was starting to feel good here. She found two friends. Sort of… They needed some help with their emotions, and they needed someone to teach them how to love and show them the value of friendship. But that was what she was there for.

"Ha, I cannot believe how stupid that girl is!" Nicole slowed her walking, finding herself subconsciously trying to be very quiet and unnoticeable after she heard another female voice. She stopped once she reached the corner of the hall way. She pressed herself against the wall and peered around the edge. There were some Arrancar woman gathered in the next hall, ranting on about some nonsense…

"I mean I know that Aizen said she wasn't the brightest of the bunch, but wow… This is just beyond me!" The one girl continued. Nicole froze dead in her tracks. They were talking about her, weren't they?

"He tricked her so easily, it's unheard of!" Another girl chimed in, frantically waving her hands around to express her disgust and bewilderment.

"And now she's strutting around as if she owns the place! Shacking up with Ulquiorra and Grimmjow… Disgusting."

"She's nothing more than some half breed mutt. The moment Aizen finds her useless, she will be done with. I find it insulting though. He has such little faith in us and the Espada that he decided to bring her here as a backup plan. Ha! What a joke. She doesn't seem all that tough to me."

Nicole slid against the wall to the ground. This was what she was afraid of. Her arms crossed over her chest as she hugged herself. A deep red, crimson colored tear trickled down her cheek. _How stupid and careless of me… I almost considered this place a home…_

_**XxXxX**_

_**AND DONE FOR TONIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! ._. DUNDUNDUNDUN! What will happen next? :O Can you guesssss? Haha **_

_**Oh by the way… I have it were her kind cry blood lol. If you have not gathered that yet.**_

_**And the stuff in there about her older brother… Take note on that. It will come in handy later. I can't wait until I bring in my other Ocs :D I hope you are just as excited as I am :3**_

_**Well review please(: Let me know how I did ~ Thanks!**_

_**(WARNING: Next chapter is gonna have some unexpected smut ;)… )**_


	16. Accident

_**Thank you to MLPKalya and eve-chan97 for your kind reviews :3**_

_**Okay, as Promised… Lemon O: if you don't like this kind of stuff, then you may want to not read this entire chapter XD… LOL.**_

_**Enjoy~**_

Chapter Sixteen: Just Surrender To Your Desires

"_I cannot believe how stupid that girl is… I mean I know that Aizen said she wasn't the brightest of the bunch, but wow… This is just beyond me."_

"_He tricked her so easily, it's unheard of!"_

"_And now she's strutting around as if she owns the place! Shacking up with Ulquiorra and Grimmjow… Disgusting."_

Nicole could still feel her heart hammering inside of her ribcage, threatening to burst out at any moment. The instant that those words had met her ears, she had immediately bolted back to the safety of her room, thankful to find that it was vacant instead of preoccupied with a certain green eyes Espada.

Blood red tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. Why was she so upset? Didn't she figure from the beginning that something was off about this entire scenario? She could have predicted that something like this was bound to happen. She was just being used… That was always the logical thing to assume. So why had she let herself being to think otherwise?

_Because it felt so good… _To be accepted by others outside of her home, to be acknowledged by other beings, it all felt so good. All of her life, no one outside of her family would ever look at her as anything other than a nuisance. So being here, with the Espada and Arrancar, being told that she could make herself feel at home, and that she was now one of them, it had been too good of an offer to pass up. _To be accepted… That is all I ever wanted._

She flung herself onto the bed and curled herself into a ball. Hugging her knees to her chest, and closing her vibrant eyes tightly, she began to focus all of her concentration and energy on one thing. _Codey._ When all else went wrong, she could always turn back to her twin brother. She tried so desperately to gain her previous mental connection with him once more. She needed to tell him to get her out of here immediately. Above all else, she had to leave this horrible place, and since she did not have the means to do so herself, she had no other option than to rely on her twin to rescue her. _Funny how family is the only thing that you can ever actually rely on._

The door creaked open as a dark silhouette entered the room. Nicole's eyes snapped open and she jerked up into a sitting position to view who had evaded her privacy. She was not surprised to see a pair of breath taking green eyes staring back at her with little to no interest in what she was doing. _Of course._ With him there, Codey would never be able to reconnect with her mind. That had already established that Ulquiorra's spiritual energy practically acted as a barrier and shield her from her twins telepathic abilities.

"What are you doing, Onna?" He asked, his voice as cool and collected as ever.

A twinge of bitterness made itself known in her currently unstable, and very fragile heart. He had must have known all along. Surely if those servants knew, than Ulquiorra, one of Aizen's most trusted Espada, knew about Aizen's plan to use her. He was just as much to blame as his lord was. He betrayed her. He lead her to thinking that he might have actually started to care for her… All of those moments that they had shared…. All of that blood bonding, that unexpected _kiss_, all of those times he kept her out of harms way… It was all just an act. An act that had undoubtedly fooled her.

She contemplated right then whether she should kill him or not. Would that be an overreaction to his betrayal? None sense, she was a Youkai, her Honor would not just allow her to be fooled and not punched the person responsible for it. Subconsciously, her nails lengthened into menacing claws.

He was still staring at her, patiently waiting for an answer. She blinked.

_No._

Her sharpened nails retracted. She couldn't hurt him, not in a million life times. Whether all of their moments were just an act for him or not, that did not change the fact that they were very real for her.

"Onna," He persisted when she had failed to answer him in a timely manner. His voice was absolutely lethal…

That was when she decided, she would spare him. She would let him live. Her movements where somewhat reluctant, but at the same time fluid and graceful. She removed herself from their bed and made her way over to him with a cautious stride. When she was a mere foot away, she reached out to cup his neck with the palm of her hand. Much to her delight, he did not flinch away from the sudden contact.

She knew that she had to get away from here if she planned to still get a hold of her brother. There were too many beings with incredible amount of energy lingering in Las Noches. She would have to make a mad dash for the desert of Hueco Mundo. Then once she was far enough from this God forsaken place, she would try communicating with him once more. While she stared into those alluring green depths of his, another problem arose. How was she going to escape him? He always kept an eye on her, even though Aizen had granted her freedom to roam.

She would have to immobilize him for a short span of time, at least long enough for her to get a head start. _But how?_ Her attentive eyes averted from his intense glare to the welcoming vein of his neck. Perhaps if she drained him of enough blood and energy, he could be knocked into unconsciousness as he recuperates…

That was it. This plan had to work. It was her last resort.

She still never cared to answer his question. He was watching her with now mild irritation. Was she purposely trying to annoy him? He remained silent as he watched her hateful façade crumble into something much more meaningful. After a bountiful amount of emotions played themselves out on her expressions, finally one remained. It was as clear as day. The longing in her eyes made itself very well known when she glanced down at his exposed neck.

Nicole found that she could barely contain herself at this point. Her reddened lips parted, the tip of her tongue licked over them, moistening them ever so slightly. She found herself leaning in closer, closing the distance between them. It thrilled her to no end that he never once tried to recoil as she closed on his vulnerable neck, sinking her fangs into him.

Unimaginable pleasure washed over both of them at that moment. As the warm, sweet liquid of life trickled down her throat, she reached up with her fragile hands to grasp the zipper of his Arrancar uniform jacket. At that point, her body had a mind of its own. She unzipped the coat, her warm palms brushed over his cool skin as she ran her hands over the newly exposed abdominal and chest muscle. Without further hesitation, she helped him shrug off his jacket, allowing the useless clothing to fall into a heap on the ground.

He was overwhelmed to say at the least. From the combination of her feeding off of him and unclothing him, he could feel an urgent warmth pooling in his stomach and making itself known in his groin area. He let out a light grunt when her curious hands traveled his uncovered flesh and outlined the details of his toned muscles. It took all of his efforts to suppress a shudder when she fully removed his shirt, then decided to hook her slender fingers on his shoulder blades.

The bite wound had healed after a small time, much to Nicole's dismay. Instead of blindly puncturing his vein again, she pulled back ever so slightly so that she could look into his emerald pools. She wanted to see now, more than ever, if there was any sort of emotion swirling behind those beautiful gems.

_Th-Thump._

Her heart skipped a beat, and she inhaled in a sharp breath when she saw what lingered there. It was faint, almost undetectable, but nonetheless it was there… He looked at her with the same longing and passion that she felt at her very core. The same untamable flare of desire.

He eyed her with caution, watching carefully as she shifted her gaze to once more meet his. For a moment, her eyes widened with what he assumed to be shock, though he could not begin to understand why. Immediately after that wave of surprise passed over her, her eyelids dropped, leaving her staring at him in a half-lidded fashion.

_Don't fight it._

How could she even fathom trying to fight this?

Ulquiorra's eyes widened slightly when she leaned in, capturing his black and white lips in a tender kiss with her scarlet painted ones. Her eyelids fully closed when she initiated the intimate connection. A small, satisfied moan escaped the blonde haired vixen. Her entire body arched into his, molding to fit his perfectly, and making him painfully aware of how badly his own body craved for her attention.

Nicole nearly let out a delighted purr when he closed his own eyes and returned her sweet, but passionate kiss. His strong arms encircled her, pulling her in by the waist and pressing her more firmly against him. Their lips moved together in a frenzied, ravenous rhythm. He forced her body to arch in such a way that it caused the kiss to deepen, and she gladly responded to his efforts.

He parted his lips and nibbled at her lower one. She complied, granting him entrance. He did not hesitate before slipping his tongue inside of her mouth, meeting her tongue in a war for dominance. The taste of her tongue against his was undeniably sweet. If he had to compare it to something, he would have compared it to honeysuckle.

"Hmm," She purred out, her nimble fingers gently kneading at his shoulder blades as they continued to lavish each other with passionate kisses. Unable to resist the chance of exploring his body further, she broke their lips connection.

A small groan left him as she trailed ghosts of kisses down his neck and collar bone, only hesitating for a moment when her sinfully delicious lips brushed against the edge of his

Hollow hole. He almost visibly flinched when he noticed her stutter over the empty cavity. Would this be the end of their blissful night? Now that she reached something that would undoubtedly be a reminder to her that he was different from her? There was an ache centered at that hole at the very thought of her pulling away from his now just because of their differences.

She let out a breathy sigh, her hot breath tickled the flesh of his chest. She leaned in to place a few more delicate kisses around the circular void in his upper sternum area before returning her attention to his bicolored lips. Her body molded to his once more, not letting the small disruption ruin anything. Slightly lightheaded from her acceptance, he found himself picking her up by the thighs, aiding her in wrapping her slender legs around his narrow waist as he carried her over to their shared bed.

A small voice in the back of her head was warning her that if she did this, there was no going back. Youkai mate for life, and if she carried through with this, she was only creating an unbearable problem for herself. She failed to heed its insightful advice.

He pinned her beneath him against the mattress. His hips were still locked between her slender thighs. She arched her back so that her core, stomach and breasts were pressed firmly against him. He responded to her eager movements, grinding his noticeably erect member against her. He received an almost girlish mewl from the blonde beauty beneath him.

Her fingered unhooked themselves from his shoulder blades as she reached down to untie the sash that held up the lower half of his clothing. He wasted no time in tearing off all of her outfit- everything from her shirt to her pants- leaving her completely bare underneath him. His broke their kiss for another moment, allowing his eyes to wander of her perfectly shaped form. She undid his sash and began to slowly reach passed the fabric of his pants to wrap her fingers around his hardened length and pull him out.

_There is no going back._

His curious hands caressed her sides, outlining her perfect curves. The finally stopped at her full breasts. He ghosted his fingers over them, watching with much interest as just the slightest touch left a trail of Goosebumps, and had her nipples perking with excitement. She stifled a gasp, her body shivered right when her fingers wrapped around the width of his full length.

Her green eyed lover groaned at her sudden touch, his hips nearly bucked in reaction. While her talented fingers explored him further, trailing from his base to his tip, he decided to do some exploring of his own. His hand wandered to her inner thigh, being careful not to alarm her as he skillfully sought out her entrance with two of his fingers. She was already to wet and willing, so he slipped those to fingers inside of her, earning a moan from the vixen.

He nearly moaned from the tightness of her womanhood as her muscles tightened on his fingers. He couldn't help but to imagine how fantastic that tightness would feel wrapped around other places… He began to slide his fingers in and out of her, but she was having none of that. "_Ulquiorra,_" She purred out his name in a pleading manner. His body stiffened, he automatically understood what she so desperately needed. Removing his fingers from her, he rested either forearm beside her as he steadied himself above her.

One final look into her multicolor eyes as he positioned the head of his manhood at her aching entrance. There were no loving words, or warnings of _'this is only going to hurt for a moment',_ but rather the look in their eyes said it all. It was a mutual trust and bond that they were about to share, something that they would both hold precious to them for the rest of their days.

Finally without further delay, the pale Espada thrust himself into the ivory skinned girl beneath him. She let out a small cry which was quickly after muffled with his lips as he kissed her, swallowing any more of her cries or moans. Slowly, he began to rock himself in and out of her, his body nearly shaking and collapsing on top of hers when he felt the pleasurable sensation of her warmth clutching onto his hardened member. More cries died in her throat as she felt him shatter the barrier that once marked her innocence.

He shoved passed her virgin barrier, buried himself to the hilt. A muffled groan left both of them, muted by one another's kiss. That very same kiss turned violent moments later as he began to pull out of her and repeated thrust back into her core. The pain that she had felt moments before hurriedly subsided, leaving only a pleasurable sensation in its presence. "Nyuh!" She yelped when he hit her sweet spot. He purposely continued to slam into that hypersensitive spot, making her curl into him and call out his name in pure ecstasy.

Hearing her say his name in such a state only encouraged him to pick up the pace in his movements. He rapidly slammed back into her over and over again, occasionally grunting as her muscles constricted around him.

What seemed like almost hours later, they finally both reached their edge. Her hips bucked and buckled when she came to her climax, and he rode out both of their orgasms as he released his seed deep within her womb. His relentless thrusts began to come to a slow shortly after.

A thin layer of sweat coated both of them, their breathing was shallow and short, and Nicole's heartbeat was on overdrive.

_You can never turn back now._

Without a second thought, Nicole flipped them and sank her fangs back into his neck. She greedily drank the blood that spilled from the wound, and did not let up on her vigorous attacks on his vein until she felt him slowly slipping into unconsciousness. She bit down harder, taking a few more gulps until she was sure that she had him right in the state that she wanted him.

She pulled back, her lustful gaze dulling down into an apologetic one. She stared at his now sleeping form with gentle eyes. She reached up to gently brush the ebony locks of hair out of his face. She leaned in to place one last and final kiss upon his lips.

She slipped out of their bed, clothed herself, and turned for the door. When she reached the exit way, she paused for just a moment, turning to steal one last glimpse of the sleeping male. A dull ache settled in her chest. Was this guilt that she felt? She closed her eyes and shook her head as if to rid herself from that very thought. No matter… She had to leave either way… She didn't belong here.

She opened her eyes to glance over the disheveled bed sheets and the half naked body that was sprawled out on the mattress. She really did make a mess of things though… "Goodbye, Ulquiorra." One last pang in her heart before she turned to flee from the scene before her.

_**XxXxX**_

_**Okay, Okay, I know that they moved really fast, but there is a reason for this later. My friend and I are writing this together, and we both decided on this. Hope I don't get too much hate haha! **_

_**Damn Nicole… Bitch move. Eating and leaving DX Ho!**_


	17. A New Life

_**Ignore typos please… I am too tired to reread. Now I have to get back to school work… Uhg. DX Is there anyone on here who would want to do editing for me? If so, just say so in a review or message. Seriously I would appreciate it soooo much.**_

_**Well, this chapter isn't as long as I originally thought it would be. Guess I got a little lazy. But anyways…**_

_**Enjoy!~**_

Chapter Seventeen: Lover's Bond

Hours after making love to Ulquiorra, Nicole found herself so deep in Hueco Mundo's desert that even with her superior vision, she was unable to spot Las Noches in the distance. She wandered the sandy plains with her arms wrapped around her chest. She was not hugging herself to block the harsh winds, but rather it was an embrace meant to hide her insecurities.

Since she left, she found herself unable to stop crying. Tiny droplets of crimson trickled down her blood drained cheeks. The Youkai tears blurred her version red. A sniffle could be heard every few seconds. She choked on her own saliva as her throat clenched with each sob.

_Why am I crying?_ She never cried. Nicole Knight was not one to be a cry baby. But this sorrowful feeling was not something that she could ignore. Was she upset about what she heard the two Arrancar say? Sure she was. But that wasn't why she was crying…

No, these tears were because of what she had done. She did not mean to sleep with Ulquiorra. When she had bitten him, she had no intentions on mating with him. This was not what she wanted. Yet somehow, when she was that physically close to herself, she found herself unable to resist the temptation.

Then right after, even though she knew it was the right thing for her to leave, she found it a lot harder said than done. She had to force herself out of that room and to not look back. Even now, she was fighting the desire to turn back and slip back into bed with him. All she wanted was to be there when he woke up. To apologize when he came back to consciousness, and tell him that she would never attempt abandoning him again.

But that was not an option. This place was not her home. She did not belong here.

There was a pang in her heart at that thought. As true as it was, it hurt to acknowledge that. It hurt to acknowledge the fact that the only place she belonged was in Hell.

Nicole stopped her pacing and finally fell to the white sand flooring. The sobs finally became too much for her. She curled into a fetal position and just cried. This always happened. She always got into the worst possible messes. This had to be the worst mistake that she had ever made though. Never before had something hurt this badly…

_Brother… Can you hear me?_ She mentally called back.

_Nicole? I can hear you again. Are you already? Are you safe? Why are you crying? _Her twin brother, Codey, answered back through their mental connection.

_Just bring me home…_

_Alright. This will take a little while for me to track you and activate a teleportation spell. Just stay where you are, alright?_

She nodded to herself. She knew that he could not see the gesture, but he could probably still feel it.

Codey was the only one that she could trust. That was a sad truth. Flesh and blood overruled any other bond.

Her hand absentmindedly reached for her chest and clutched the clothing over it, as if that would stop the pain that resided there. That's when the truth finally to dawn upon her. She was mated to someone who would probably never love her. She was mated to the enemy. She was mated to someone whom she would probably never even see again… She stifled a sob and pressed her hand to her chest even harder.

_I'm sorry sister…_ Codey's voice apologized. He had probably read all of her thoughts. Great. Now he would know how badly she messed up… _It will all work itself out…_

Work itself out? No. There was no repair to this damage. He must have known that too, because he didn't offer any kind words of comfort after that thought. _I just want to go home…_

A startling amount of pain suddenly made itself known in her left bicep. "What the hell-?" She began in a hoarse voice. Her mid-bicep suddenly tore open as if a blade had cut right through it. Blood spurted everywhere as the lower section of her arm detached itself from her body and fell onto the ground. She watched with wide eyes as the dismembered limb turned clear and crystallized before her very eyes.

She immediately jumped to the question of "what is going on?", but that was instantly answered by her Youkai conscious. It was Ulquiorra. He was injured, and she was experiencing his injuries. She reached out with her other still attached arm, picked up her crystallized limb and reattached it. The instant that the detached limb touched her body, it was stitched back into place. Nicole silently watched as the clearness gradually faded back into its natural skin tone.

_Just ignore it._ She repeatedly told herself. But despite her efforts, she couldn't help but to feel a surge of panic. What if he was dying? The whole purpose of what she had done was so that he wouldn't die.

Another pain took residence in her abdomen. A cut slashed across her chest and stomach area, cutting her just deep enough to do damage to a few of her organs. She let out a harsh cough, spewing out blood as she did so. _Who is hurting him?_

_I am going to kill them!_ Her inner Youkai growled out.

That was instinct kicked in. Despite the damage that was being inflicted on her body, she forced herself off of the ground and took off in a mad dash back towards where Las Noches was located.

_Nicole, wait! Stay put, other wise I might not be able to bring you back!_ Codey insisted, but to no avail. She continued sprinting towards where she knew Ulquiorra was located at top speed.

She knew that she shouldn't have bothered going. This battle was probably none of her business. She should have waited and just gone home. But her natural Youkai instinct would not allow that to happen. If he was in danger, she had to keep him safe. That was the way a mating bond worked.

Due to her being hyped up with a mixture of rage and panic, adrenaline was pumping through her veins, making her run faster than she had ever known that she could. The distance that had originally taken her hours to cover when leaving Hueco Mundo only took a matter of minutes to travel now. Before she knew it, she was back at the palace, leaping over the damaged pillars and dead bodies as she passed by. _What had happened here?_ She silently wondered.

Everything passed in a blur, and she was hardly aware of what was happening until she eventually saw two demonic looking creatures come into view. One of them she instantly recognized as Ulquiorra. He had black, devilish bat like wings, and a black fur covering his arms and legs, with talon like claws for hands, and a long whip like tail. But his face was still relatively the same. Though his eyes were a golden hue instead of green, and his tear markings were thick and black instead of thin and green.

He looked horrible. Injuries all over his body. There was serious damage to his arm and his leg…

Nicole's eyes immediately darted to the other being that stood before him. A Vasto Lorde. This creature was a boney white, covered in black markings with an occasional hint of red here and there. His clothes wore torn to pieces and his brilliant orange hair was blowing in the wind.

_He did this._ She put together the moment that she saw him.

Instead of halting and observing the situation further like most people would, her senses went into overdrive. She was beyond furious. She pushed herself harder, sprinting at a speed to quick that she appeared to just materialize when she finally stopped in front of the Vasto Lorde.

This monster before her didn't look at her with shock when she suddenly appeared. He just stared at her with an obvious intent to kill. Nicole glared right back at him with that same intention. Before either of them could predict what was about to happen, her hand clenched into a fist right before she slammed it into his face.

She did not hit him with a regular amount of strength. She hit him with ever ounce of Youkai rage that she had stored up. The force of her punch was enough to send him flying backwards. She felt a hint of satisfaction when she heard a crackle come from his Hollow mask when her knuckles connected with it.

Though she felt a very strong urge to finish him off right then and there, the urge to tend to Ulquiorra was much greater. She rushed to his side, reaching out to help support him. "Ulquiorra! Are you alright?" She asked in a panic.

He looked back at her right when his bright yellow pupils faded back into a deep green. He gave her a look that was half a glare, and half a stare out of shock. She defeated the enemy that he could not. Now he finally understood why Aizen was so set on keeping her around. "Ulquiorra?" She called out again, even more frantic than before. "Please answer me…"

He would have if he could have. But his time was up, and he didn't feel like telling her that. A sudden dull ache spread throughout his body as parts of him began to flake off and turn to dust.

Nicole stared in shock as her lover began to dematerialize right before her very eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest as realization set in. She was too late. "Ulquiorra, I'm-"

She was cut off when the ground beneath them began to sink in. With wide eyes, she glanced down to see that a portal to hell was opening right beneath them. The sand has turned into what appeared to be a giant mirror and they were sinking right through the glasses surface. She clutched on tighter to Ulquiorra, refusing to let him go and part with him once again.

_Ulquiorra I am so sorry._ She wanted to say, but she found that she couldn't talk when their bodies were fully consumed by the mirror. They fell into what seemed to be a never ending darkness.

Ulquiorra had no idea what was going on. His head was spinning, and he could feel that his time to die was approaching as a vigorous speed. He took one last glance at Nicole before he fell unconscious.

Nicole's eyes opened wide when she felt him go limp against her side. "Ulquiorra?" She managed to squeak out. The blackness around them faded as a familiar room of her families mansion materialized around them. Ulquiorra's body suddenly became dead weight, nearly causing both of them to come tumbling down to the black marble ground.

Codey rushed to Nicole's side, taking Ulquiorra from her grasp and carefully laying him on the ground. "Nicole, are you okay?" He asked after her glanced up with his gold and green eyes to see the horror on Nicole's face.

Nicole had barely registered what he had said to her. "Get mom…" Her voice was low and broken. More tears prickled in the corners of her eyes. She had never cried so much in one day before… She shifted her multicolored eyes to her twin brother. He was startled to see the desperation within them. "GET MOM!" She roared, causing Codey to jump back.

She had never yelled at him before.

There was no need for him to retrieve their mother, because she had heard their voices. A curly black haired woman entered the room, a questioning look worn on her face. Nicole's eyes immediately darted towards her, sorrowful jade and sapphire met a startled pale blue. "Nicole? What's wrong dear?" She asked.

"Fix him." Nicole demanded.

Angelica took a moment to glance at the man that her daughter must have been referring to. She hesitantly made her way to the Espada's side and looked over his injuries. A thin frown pursed her lips. He was too badly injured. She could speed p the regeneration of his outer body, but she could do very little for the internal damage.

She reached up to press her hand against his stomach region. She did not have to see inside to know that his insides had been completely destroyed. She was a talented Tenshi healer, and she could just sense some of these things. Though as talented as she maybe, this did not change the fact that she could not heal something that was not there. His organs were completely gone. "Nicole, I would if I could, but you should know that I cannot heal something that is not even there to begin with… I am sorry. The internal damage is too great."

Nicole stared at her mother in horror. _What?_ This was not the time for this! She had to heal him. An idea popped into her mind. "Then take out my organs. Use them for him. I can just regenerate new ones." She insisted.

Angelica frowned at Nicole. "From what I heard from Codey, you have recently been purified, and you just got your demonic powers back… I don't think so much strain on your body so suddenly would be a good idea. We don't know if you are fully restored, or just partially restored…"

"But you _have_ to do it!" Nicole hissed. The crimson tears that had been swelling at the rims of her eyes finally spilled over and streaked down her face. "Mother, _please…"_ She cried out desperately. "Please, please just save him…"

"I am not risking my child's life for some complete stranger." She stated more firmly.

Codey watched from the sidelines, keeping quiet as he observed the entire situation unfold. His attentive multicolored eyes stayed fixed on Nicole's face. He could see the disappointment on her face. Then he saw something that he never thought he would see again… She started to cry.

An uncomfortable ache formed in his heart. How long had it been since he had seen his sister cry? He glanced down at the Hollow man that Nicole had grown so attached to. Why him? Why did his sister choose to love him? Codey had seen into her mind. He saw how cold and distant this man was. So why did he mean so much to her?

"I will do it."

Both Nicole and Angelica were startled from their argument when Codey spoke up. Their eyes shot towards him. He hesitated before speaking up once more. "…I will let you use my organs as a transplant. We both know that I will be just fine without them. I have never been purified, and I am at full strength. I don't know if it will actually work… But it can't hurt to give it a shot." A grim smile formed on his pale lips. "No harm in trying, right?"

Angelica eventually relented. "…Fine. We can give it a try."

_**XxXxX**_

Codey was sitting in the guest room, watching over Nicole's _boy toy_ while he slept. The transplant of his organs seemed to go well, but the Espada still had not waken up for some unknown reason. The multicolor haired boy let out a breathy sigh before leaning back in his chair and folding his arms behind his head. He stared up at the plain black ceiling with half-lidded eyes.

"_Please, please save him…"_

His twin sister's cries were still ringing through his head, her strained voice was as clear as day in his mind. He let his eyes fall shut as he relaxed and let his thoughts linger over those memories. The image of her tear streaked face haunted him every time that he closed his eyes. He flinched at the mental picture and snapped his bicolored eyes back open to once more stare at the blank ceiling. _How long has it been since I have seen that much emotion coming from her?_

Actually, he realized that he had never before witnessed her being in such a heartbroken state. It bothered him to no end, but then at the same time, he felt… happy? Yes, he was happy. Not because of the fact that she was suffering- that part he was uncomfortable with- but he was glad to know that there was now something that she cared about enough to actually hold that valuable to her.

Mismatched eyes glanced down to view the unconscious Arrancar. His glance was both highly observant and surprisingly grateful. This guy had so much potential to make Nicole happy now. He was her mate- forever and always, for better and for worse. An almost sad smile took hold of the male Kanara's lips.

A light grunt came from Ulquiorra as he began to come to. He shifted a few times, catching Codey's attention. Green eyes soon after snapped open in alarm. The pale skinned Espada jerked up into a sitting position, ignoring the jolt of pain that ripped through his tense body. He glanced around the room, his stare immediately fell on Codey and turned into a searing glare.

_Someone's on their period…_ Codey internally scoffed. Leave it to Nicole to find the bitchy one's… Then again he wasn't much of one to talk. His thoughts flashed to his own mate, Troxxel, and he thought of her outrageous mood swings and foul temper. A small shudder crept up his spine. Not much of one to talk at all…

Ulquiorra was surprised when he opened his eyes. He could tell that he was in some sort of room… One made of black marble walls. How was he still alive? For a moment, he thought that he might be dead, but then the painful pang that made itself known made him quickly dismiss that thought. No, he was alive… But how? And where was he?

He jerked up into a sitting position, suppressing a hiss of pain as he did so. He glared at all of the objects in the room, searching it with attentive eyes as if that would somehow give him the answer to all of his questions. He froze when his eyes fell onto another humanoid figure. Ulquiorra blinked once. Twice. Three times. His glare stuttered for only a moment when he looked at the man who lazily sat in a chair before him.

"Well what do you know, you're still alive and kickin'." The man before him muttered to himself. His gaze became slightly hazy as if he became lost in deep thought.

This boy… He was a… Youkai? Tenshi? Hanyou Kanara? He was unsure. What he did notice, however, was the similar features that this male had to Nicole. The same basic facial structure, and a similar slender but lengthy body build. His stare immediately reverted back into a cold glare. "Who are you?" Even though he had his suspicions, he wanted them to be confirmed.

The male before him blinked a few times a few seconds after Ulquiorra had spoken. He had got distracted with his thoughts again, and had just realized that the Arrancar had asked him a question. "Huh?" He blurted out on instinct, glancing back at the Espada. "Oh me? My name is Codey Knight. I'm Nicole's twin brother."

_Nicole… _Several memories of the events that had occurred right before she had abandoned him passed through his mind. His glare became even more hateful. Codey shifted uncomfortably under his heated stare. "Would you… Like to see her?"

"No." His reply was blunt and bland.

She sure did know how to pick them. Codey reached up to scratch his cheek in an awkward manner. He forced a small, unconvincing laugh. "Alrighty then…" Ulquiorra averted his eyes from the Kanara to look down at himself. He didn't have any scars or anything… How was he still alive? Codey quickly noticed what he so intently staring at. His look suddenly became more serious. "You want to know how you are still alive." He noted rather than asked.

Ulquiorra glanced back up at the multicolor haired boy. Surely he had the information that the Espada was seeking… All traces of seriousness were gone from Codey's face. He let out an exaggerated yawn and lazily stretched his arms over his head before taking his stand. When he stood up, Ulquiorra noticed his formidable height. He surely was tall… Well over six feet in height. "Well you see," Codey began with another tired yawn, "Our mother is an incredible medic. And, well… Since you were missing your internal organs, I let her take some of mine and transfer them into you. Seeing as how I can regenerate them and all…" He smirked slightly before adding, "So whether you like it or not, I'm inside of you now, brother."

Ulquiorra now glared with disgust at Codey's crude verbal suggestion. Codey, however, took no notice to this. He let out a small sigh before proceeding his way to the door. He took one last glance over his shoulder to view the seething green-eyed boy that was still sitting in the bed behind him. "Like it or not, I'm gonna go tell Nicole that you're up."

_**XxXxX**_

_**Sooo lemme explain. Whenever Nicole's physical body is injured that badly, her body parts will crystallize instead of rotting. It is part of her Youkai abilities. And she can reattach limbs and stuff. Or regenerate them completely, but that takes a lot more energy.**_


	18. Welcome to Hell's Family

_**Well, I am going to come back later and add more onto this chapter… but I just thought I would add this now because I might be gone for a while. Things are starting to pick up at work, and school is becoming slightly overwhelming. Plus I am suffering from writers block… which never happens to me DX so why now!?**_

_**Random Reader: Your comments made me laugh so hard XD totally made my day. Thank you! And for your question, well Aizen seems to know everything, now doesn't he? ;)**_

_**MLPKayla: :DDDDD Thank you sooo much! I am soo honored! **_

_**FanGirl1567: Haha, hurts Ulquiorra, so her arm falls off XD lol Karma…**_

_**Enjoy~!**_

Chapter Eighteen: Welcome Hell's Family

(Part One)

Well this was awkward.

Codey had gone to retrieve Nicole. They entered Ulquiorra's room shortly after. Codey had expected some glorious reunion between the two newly mated couple…. But this was the furthest thing from that.

Here the two lovers were, glaring at each other with such intensity that Codey thought they might end up killing each other. He shrank back against the wall and warily watched as the two had a glaring match. This was much different than he had pictured. Just a while ago Nicole was bawling over the fact that Ulquiorra might have died… So why was she being so cold now?

The male Kanara kept to himself, reaching into his pocket to pull out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter so that he could have a smoke. He gently placed the filter in his lips and sparked the tip of the cigarette before taking a drag. He replaced the lighter and pack back into his pocket before removing the lighted cigarette from his lips and exhaling a breath of smoke. _How does stuff like this even happen?_

Nicole was furious. After finding out that he was alive and well, her rational mind suddenly came rushing back to her. This man betrayed her. He was helping Aizen. On some level she knew that that was not completely true, because Aizen was in his life far before she was, but she still could not help but to feel betrayed.

Little did she know, Ulquiorra was feeling betrayed as well. He wasn't an idiot, he knew that she had just slept with him so that she could get him in a vulnerable spot. What bothered him even more so was the fact that her trick had so effectively worked on him. That, and the fact that he actually cared at all…

So because neither of them were talented with words or expressing themselves, they just gave each other dirty looks and heated glares. They really were hopeless.

A girl with brilliant red hair peered around the corner of the door way and slipped inside to lean against the wall next to Codey. She glanced over Nicole and Ulquiorra with her curious, molten gold dragon eyes. She leaned into Codey, tilting her head to the side so that it could rest on his shoulder. "What's going on between those two? First couples fight?" She wondered curiously.

Codey spared a quick glance at his mate. "Yeah, something like that." He answered to Troxxel. She wrapped her arms against one of his and smiled to herself.

"Good thing we are passed that stage." She teased, earning a grunt in reply from her bicolor haired mate. That was far from true. They always fought. Well more like Troxxel picked fights with him while he just took it. He wasn't really the type to lose his temper with girls. But sometimes she made it hard not too…

The two were interrupted when Nicole suddenly took her leave. She slammed the door behind her. Troxxel and Codey gave each other knowing glances before splitting up. Troxxel left to find Nicole and talk things out with her, while Codey stayed to watch over Ulquiorra.

"So… What was that all about?" Codey inquired, making an effort to talk things out with the Espada. His question only earned him a searing glare.

Of Course.

She had to pick the bitchy one.

XxXxX

"Nicole!" Troxxel called out as the trotted down the long hallway of the Knight families mansion.

Nicole stopped in mid stride and turned to glance at the Dragon Youkai that pursued her. "Hn." Nicole grunted at her in reply.

The red head slowed down once she reached Nicole's side and they both continued walking down the vacant hall. "Care to tell me what that was all about."

"Not really." Nicole liked Troxxel. She was beautiful, strong, and independent. She was also one of Nicole's closest friends. But that didn't mean that she wanted to tell her about what had happened between her and Ulquiorra.

Troxxel gave a small pout, puckering out her bottom lip as she did so, but she did not persist. "Well okay." Nicole glanced at the Dragon Lady with grateful eyes. She was thankful that Troxxel wasn't one to pry. "But at least tell me this, is it true that you had sex with him? I mean I guess he is kinda cute, but he's also kind of scary looking. Not really my thing."

Nicole nearly doubled over at Troxxel's comment. So much for not being one to pry. Nicole let out a loud groan. "Can't you just leave this topic alone?"

Troxxel immediately perked up. "So you _did_ do it! And here I was starting to think that you would be forever alone!"

"Wow. Thanks. I can see that you're just as insensitive as ever." Nicole muttered under her breath, her tone dripping with sarcasm. Nicole made a sharp turn when she reached a staircase that lead to the bottom level of the Knight mansion. She picked up her pace, skipping over three stairs at a time instead of one, all just to try escaping this unnecessary conversation with Troxxel.

"Wait! I didn't mean it the way that it sounded… well… maybe just a little." Troxxel was having none of that. Using her Youkai speed, she flash stepped right down to the bottom of the flight, beating Nicole to the first floor. She crossed her arms over her overly large bust and puffed out her chest. Nicole attempted to side step around the redhead, but Troxxel blocked every one of her attempts to avoid her. "Okay, okay, I admit, it's probably too soon to pick fun at you. But seriously Nicole, tell me what happened." Troxxel urged, giving Nicole a firm stare with her golden, dragon eyes.

Nicole signed in defeat and leaned back. Her mismatched gems met a deep topaz in a lazy gaze. "Don't play dumb with me Troxxel. I'm sure that my brother has already filled you in on more than enough of the details."

Troxxel frowned. "Then tell me one thing Nicole, why him?"

That was a good question. Why him? She wanted to know the answer to that herself. But every time that she tried to formulate the answer, she came up blank. "I…don't know." She murmured, her eyes falling to the ground with a small hint of shame.

"You are at least aware that he is not bound to the same laws of loyalty as us, right? He could wind up hurting you really badly…"

"I know…"

Troxxel remained silent for a while with a grim expression on her face. "Well…" She began, trying to sound more cheerful than before. "I know what will cheer you up. Let's go hunting and kill things!" She exclaimed with excitement, her vibrant eyes lighting up with sheer pleasure at the thought. Troxxel loved hunting, it was one of the few opportunities where she got to let out all of her pent up frustration.

"Okay."

XxXxX

"So… You… boned my sister…" Codey started awkwardly, scratching the side of his head while taking another puff off of his cigarette. Ulquiorra glared at him more intensely this time. Codey let out a nervous chuckle. "Ha ha… Don't worry… It's cool… I don't hate you," he lowered his voice before adding, "That much."

XxXxX

With a quick transportation spell, Nicole and Troxxel found themselves in Nicole's layer of Hell. The blonde haired vixen took a moment to glance over everything. The crystallized trees and foliage, and diamond ground were still exactly the same as she left it. She let out a breath that she wasn't even aware that she was holding.

This was the hunting ground that they always used. This was the layer they knew their way around best, so they always had the tactical advantage. Plus, this place was far more beautiful than the rest of Hell… Nicole was interrupted from her thoughts when she felt a furry object rub against her leg and heard a loud purr from that same creature. She glanced down to see her pet black panther rubbing himself against her.

The black creature closed its eyes and let out a content purr at seeing that his mistress had returned. _'Master.'_ He acknowledged, reaching up to press his head to her hand. Nicole complied, reaching up to pet the feline's head. She smiled slightly as she ran her nimble fingers through his soft fur. _'I missed you.'_

Nicole smiled more. "I missed you too Demetri." She told him, making sure to scratch behind his ear just where he liked it.

"Man, it always creeps me out how both you and Codey can talk to your weapons." Troxxel commented from the side lines, reminding Nicole that she was there. "Tell that fuzz ball to shape up and turn into a weapon now so that you can use him in battle. I sense some pretty powerful souls nearby. They might put up a decent fight."

The black panther released a warning growl to Troxxel before backing away from Nicole and doing as suggested. The creature's fur coat faded from black to clear as he crystallized and broke down into tiny fragments. The pieces crumbled to the ground, leaving only a diamond forged sword in the pile of shards. Nicole leaned down so that she could grab the hilt of the katana and pick it up. It was as light as a feather…

Nicole glanced over the blade, admiring its never ending beauty. It was sometimes hard to believe that this sword was apart of her. It was far too beautiful to come from someone like her…

"That gets me every time. How did you get that weapon again?" Troxxel wondered aloud, glancing over Nicole and her diamond blade one last time before motioning for Nicole to follow her towards the direction of where she could sense the highly energized spirits.

"I told you before. Demetri was forged from my own body. He is my own flesh and bone, with a small fragment of my soul." Nicole lazily replied, not caring much to give a detailed reply. Nicole averted her eyes from the katana and glanced up to see where Troxxel was motioning towards.

Troxxel thought for a moment. "You know at some means that at some level, your soul is a guy… you know that, right?"

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

The pair leapt into the crystal trees, hopping from branch to branch as they traveled. This was nice. Nicole took in a deep breath of air. Being home was the best feeling in the world. It was so liberating… She closed her eyes for a brief moment, savoring the feel of the breeze brushing through her hair and dancing across her flesh. The air here was so cool and crisp that it gave her goose bumps.

"Damn these guys smell tasty…" Troxxel mentioned, catching Nicole's attention. Her eyes slid back open and refocused on what was ahead of her.

She was right. Now that they were much closer, she could tell that they did indeed possess a divine scent to them. With that motivation in the back of their minds, the two of them simultaneously picked up their speeds as they closed in on their prey.

_XxXxX_

Ulquiorra could sense that Nicole was gone, so he took this chance to attempt leaving. But of course, that obnoxious Codey character would not let him leave… "Look Emo, as much as I would be thrilled to let you go, I can't. You belong here now, with us." He insisted. That nickname annoyed Ulquiorra, but he chose to ignore it for the most part, because he found himself slightly taken back by the Kanara's words.

This guy thought that he belonged here now? Why? Just because of the incident with Nicole? That was nonsense. He has never once truly belonged anywhere, especially not here. Ulquiorra did not belong with some bizarre, blood sucking family. He was not one of them, and never would be. The only place where he had ever felt a sense of belonging was in Las Noches, at Aizen's side.

Codey scowled at him, almost seeming to indicate that he could read the Espada's mind. "This will be your home now. You're much more like us than you seem to think. You're a superior being, and you belong with other more highly evolved people."

"I do not belong here, especially not with _her_." Ulquiorra's voice was low, and monotoned for the most part, but his emotionless façade stuttered for a moment when he emphasized his final word. He hated to admit it, but that girl had gotten to him. She just blindly came along, toying with him and making him realize this new side to himself, and then right after doing so, she walked all over his new half, crushing it in her very wake. She did things to him that no one should have the ability to do. He had to stay away from her, because that was in his best interest.

Codey frowned. He had certainly not expected things to go this sourly. "Why? Because she hurt you, or because she makes you feel unfamiliar things?" Now Ulquiorra was beginning to wonder if Codey really could read minds… "Are you afraid to be around her because it feels like she is ruining you? Turning you into an emotional creature? Well I have news for you, no matter how much you distance yourself from her, it wont change the fact that you have been forever ruined. So just accept the change, and learn to live with it."

Afraid? Ridiculous. He was not afraid of anything. Not even of death. So Codey suggesting such a thing was incredibly insulting.

.

..

…

TBC in Part Two

…

..

.

_**(Part Two)**_

_Afraid? Ridiculous. He was not afraid of anything. Not even of death. So Codey suggesting such a thing was incredibly insulting._

The two males continued to have a glaring match for much time. So much time in fact, that both Nicole and Troxxel had already made it back before they were done. "Ah, that sure hit the spot." Troxxel exclaimed as she entered the room. She patted her stomach to reinforce the statement and gave a close eyed smile as she lounged into the room.

"_Mmmhmmm,"_ Nicole purred in agreement, finding herself in a much better mood now that she had a full stomach again. Her presence caught Ulquiorra's attention. He shifted his glare from her brother to her. Nicole met his rage with a much calmer expression.

"What's going on here?" Troxxel voiced, finally opening her eyes and letting out a lazy yawn.

Codey had never once peeled off his eyes from the Espada. "He wants to leave." He deadpanned through gritted teeth.

"Brother, Troxxel, can you give us a moment?" The two gave Nicole a doubtful glance. "I just need to speak with Ulquiorra alone for a moment. Everything will be alright, I promise you." The two of them were still unsure, but they relented, exiting the room and closing the door behind them after a second later.

"Ulquiorra, look," She began, taking a seat next to him on the mattress that her family had so graciously provided him with. "I don't want to fight with you." She was drunk off of blood. It was incredibly obvious by the way that she was slurring her words and emphasizing each syllable. She gazed at him from behind droopy eyelids and a drunken haze. A gentle purr emitted from her throat as she spoke. "Can't we just stop this?"

Why he had ever succumbed to such carnal acts with her was beyond him. Right now, in this drunken state, she disgusted him. She was no better than trash… "I'm sorry if I had hurt you…" She added on, leaning in slightly closer. "I had only done it so that I could avoid hurting you…"

He kept silent. What she said made absolutely no sense. She was trying to feed him some bull about her doing this, just to avoid hurting him? How dumb did she think he was. An idea popped in his head, and before he could think it over, he had already acted upon it.

He grabbed her by the jaw line and pulled her down to meet him in a frenzied kiss. This surprised her, but she never once objected. She moved her lips with his, a sudden feeling of relief washing over her as their lips molded together. Before he got too carried away, he forced himself to remember why he was doing this in the first point. There was a point to this after all, this was not forgiveness.

He suddenly slammed her back against the mattress and pinned her down, breaking their kiss in the process. Dark emerald met dazzled jade and sapphire in a dispassionate stare. He leaned down so that his lips were pressed to the base of her neck, tickling her each time he made a small movement of his mouth in order to speak. "Just remember, I am only doing this so that I can avoid harming you."

Then he was gone. He had sonidoed away without a further notice. Nicole blinked a few times, her eyes as wide as they could possibly be. Harsh reality set in on just how complex and difficult this situation was the instant that she felt the warm of his body leave hers. A subtle pang radiated throughout her chest when she realized just how empty she felt after he had done that. _No one should have this much control over another…_

She shot back onto her feet and used her Youkai speed to flash step to where she could sense his presence. Quickly after, she found herself in one of her family's many gigantic living rooms. She slowed herself right before she passed the door's threshold so that she could calmly stride into the room without appearing rushed. "Look, Ulquiorra, I'm-" Her apology was cut off when a bone chilling presence filled the area.

A violent shudder rippled through her body. _Colin…_ She immediately recognized. She could feel the presence of death…

Alarmed eyes darted around the room. Nothing looked out of place. There were no flaws in the black marble walls, no damage to the redwood furniture… Nicole visible jumped when a person's foot came crashing through one of the walls. The stone around the foot began to crack and fall away from the force of something being so violently shoved through it. After enough of the wall had crumbled away, a tall, slender form could be seen.

"Ahh, so the rumors are true. You are back home, my darling _sister_."

That slithery voice was enough to make her skin crawl.

Colin sauntered into the room with such a calm composure that he almost seemed oblivious to the fact that he had destroyed one of the room's walls.

Ulquiorra turned his head to acknowledge the newcomer. Something didn't sit right with him the instant that he laid eyes on Colin… He wordlessly observed as the Youkai approached him and silently noted his extreme height. Colin literally towered over the Espada. He was seven feet tall, and freakishly skinny. But despite being so thin, he had a fair amount of muscle cording his entire body.

A fanged grin stretched Colin's pale lips as he stopped only a few feet away from Ulquiorra. Like Nicole, he only his canine teeth were drastically sharp, but his were even sharper and longer than hers. A split tongue flickered passed his lips for a brief moment. The malevolence in his smile only grew as his reptilian eyes glanced over Ulquiorra. "It's a shame. I had always thought that you could do better, Nicole." He commented in a snake like hiss.

He closed his eyes and let out a sigh that was meant to imitate disappointment. Long, slender fingers came up to comb their way through his blonde and red tipped bangs. This hair was cut so that his bangs were relatively long, just reaching below his abnormally well-defined cheekbones, while the rest of his hair was cut short enough to be gelled into spikes. As if right on cue, Colin's topaz yellow eyes snapped open, a crazed look behind them as his pupils narrowed into dangerous slits. "I could always kill him for you right now. Then you could have a new start. How does that sound? Fun?"

Instinct had kicked in the second that the threat was made. Nicole used her magnificent speed to wedge herself between her lover and her older brother. _"Back off."_ She warned with a feral growl, giving Colin a searing glare.

Ulquiorra was not afraid of her brother, but he did had to admit that he did leave and unsettling impression. He remained to himself the entire time, not knowing if he should get involved. Having his life threatened was nothing new, so this hardly provoked him. But he did not miss how much Nicole took offense to the idea.

Colin raised his hands and waved them in a defensive manner. "No need to worry, you know that I would never do anything to displease _you_, Nicole." He told her in the most sardonic of tones. Images of their dead sister's heart torn out and held in Colin's very hand flashed through her head. Her lips curled over her canines as she bared her teeth at him. The snake man found himself giving an all knowing smile. "Whatever could be running through that pretty little head of yours?"

"Colin, leave her alone." A stern voice echoed through the room. Neither one of the Knight children shifted their stares from one another, but Ulquiorra spared a glance at whom the voice originated from.

Another male Youkai entered the room, accompanied by a much shorter female Tenshi. The male appeared to be a good few years older than both Nicole and Colin, but it was clearly obvious that he was related to them. He had the same blonde hair as Colin (jus minus the red tips), and jade green eyes that matched the hue of Nicole's left eye. On top of all of that, he had the same high cheek bones that all of the Knight children seemed to possess, and the same demonic features (such as pointed ears, and conical fangs).

He was relatively thin, with broad shoulders and broad chest. His skin was a sandy pale color, all flawless accept for the light pink scar that ran over his jaw line. He was shorter than Colin, but not by much.

Behind him was his mate, the Tenshi. It was also obvious that she was related to them as well. Her hair was long, black and curly, and her eyes were a delicate sky blue, but her heart shaped face was almost identical to Nicole's in structure. She also had a similar build to Nicole, just a little bit shorter.

"Yes, _father._" Colin replied, finally peeling his eyes off of Nicole to acknowledge Vincent and Angelica who had just entered.

Nicole found herself unable to relax just yet. She remained as stiff as a board as she continued to stare him down. He offered her one final glance. A glance that silently told her _'next time I will have my fun.'_

_**XxXxX**_

_**Welp… I managed to finish that much faster than I thought LOL. Hope that you enjoy… Review for me? Haha thank you!**_


	19. Advice

_Chapter Nineteen:_

Nicole was sitting on the roof top of her house, staring out at the luscious forest land around her. A deep frown had seemed to take permanent residence on her face. Her multicolored eyes stared unseeingly out at the horizon as she watched the red moon ascend into the sky, painting the once blue skies a deep crimson.

The moon cycle of Hell was truly beautiful. Every night the moon was a new shade of red. The fuller the moon got, the deeper the hue. The dim light that it radiated off coated the scenery with a gentle touch of scarlet, seemingly changing all of the colors around them to the color of blood.

_Ah, blood. That's what everything comes back to. _Nicole thought to herself. It was funny how blood played such an important roll in her life in so many different ways. She needed to consume it in order to live, she cried it instead of regular tears, she found pleasure in the way that her enemies blood would feel splattered against her skin… and last of all, blood was the very reason why she accidentally mated herself to that Espada…

Blood was the one thing that could make her lose so much control. The instant that the delicious crimson liquid touched her lips, she through caution to the wind and let her animalistic instincts kick in. It was truly pathetic…

"I say that you forget about him. Find a new mate." A teenaged, black haired, green eyed boy piped up, bringing Nicole back out of her thoughts. She didn't bother casting her gaze to meet his. Her frown deepened at his suggestion. If things were that simple, she would have done so already. But her younger brother did not know that, he was still very naïve.

"She can't do that, Youkai mate for life…" A young girl's voice chimed in. This voice was much less arrogant than the boy's, and she spoke rather quietly, just barely above a whisper. Nicole caught a glimpse of her younger sister and brother as they took a seat next to her on the roof top.

Noahella was so small and frail looking that it was almost bothersome. She was the type of girl that you were scared you were going to break by simply tapping her. But regardless, she was still beautiful. Noahella looked just like their mother, Angelica, in the face. She had a heart shaped face, accompanied by big oceanic blue eyes. Her lips were a shade of bubblegum pink, and her slightly rounded cheeks were always painted with a light shade of pink.

The only noticeable difference between Noahella and Angelica was their hair. While Angelica had long, curly, raven black hair, Noahella had straight towhead blonde hair. The shade of her hair was such a light shade of blonde that it was almost white. She also had it cut in a style with china doll bangs while the rest of her hair was so long that it reached her lower back.

Jeremiah (or most just called him Jeremy) was almost the complete opposite of his twin sister. While she was tiny and fragile, he was strongly built, and relatively tall. He was shorter than Codey and the others, but keep in mind, he was still very young.

Jeremy was the only one to inherited a full head of their mothers jet black hair. Though like the rest of his siblings, his hair felt into straight locks instead of curls. He left his hair somewhat short, yet at the same time somewhat long. He never cared to style it, so he just let it fall into its natural shaggy styled layers.

His eyes were identical to his father's. He had the same exact jade green eyes that Vincent had. Jeremy's facial structure was more like their mothers, but he also had the predominant cheek bones that his father possessed.

"That shit has to be a load of bull." Jeremy concluded, waving his hands around to emphasize what he was saying. "I mean look at Colin. I am sure he could fuck loads of bitches and not feel a thing! The only reason Youkai mate for life is because that is what we have been told to do. It's not something that actually has to apply to all of us. It's all about the will power! You can overcome this sis!" He added.

Nicole nearly cringed at the mention of Colin's name. Jeremiah was right, he probably could sleep with a million different girls and get no attachments. But that was a completely different situation than this.

Noahella frowned at her brother's crude language. "Jer… You and I both know that Colin is…" She hesitated, a little reluctant to speak ill of her sociopathic older brother. Her voice died down into a nearly mute whisper, "…different." She glanced around really quickly as if she was paranoid that someone unwelcome to this conversation might hear her. She let out a small sigh of relief when she saw no one else near by. "So comparing this situation to one such as that is plainly unfair."

Jeremy stubbornly glared at his twin sister. He jutted out his chin and angled his head in such a way that he was at perfect eyelevel with her. "Then what the hell do you suggest for her to do?"

Noahella paused, allowing herself to have a moment of deep thought. "Well I think that she should try making up with him…"

_Tried that. Failed at that._ Nicole inwardly input, but physically remained silent.

"That had to be the stupidest thing that I have ever heard!" Jeremy exclaimed, throwing his arms up to exaggerate his point. "He doesn't deserve a fuckin' apology!"

"But didn't you hear Nicole earlier? She tried apologizing… So she must have done something wrong if she thinks that she needs to say sorry. So she is just going to have to keep trying to tell him how she feels and try to make it up to him."

"Hell no! For starters, he is nothing but a lowly Hollow, he does not deserve a damned apology from someone as superior as us! Secondly, if he didn't accept her apology the first time, why would you think he would take it the second time?" Jeremy exclaimed a little too loudly, making Nicole flinch at the overbearing noise.

Demetri, who had been keeping a safe distance, saw as Nicole visible flinched, and decided to try comforting her. The black panther tiptoed over to her, making sure not to disrupt Noahella and Jeremiah's argument as he did so. He curled up beside Nicole and rested his chin against one of her thighs. She responded to the touch by reaching up to pet his head, earning a satisfied purr from him.

"Well, well, what's going on here?" A new tenured pitched voice entered the conversation, interrupting Noahella and Jeremy. Codey and Troxxel walked up the group.

The multicolor haired man glanced over his two younger siblings with an almost uninterested look. With his supersonic hearing, he had been able to eavesdrop on their conversation from when it first began. He lifted his cigarette to his mouth and took a puff.

Troxxel, whom was beside him, was wearing her usual scowl on her face and had her arms crossed over her chest. She tapped her foot and glared at Jeremy in annoyance. "If you're not going to answer him, then beat it you brats!" She snapped, her golden dragons eyes darting between the two younger twins.

Noahella, never being the one to disobey orders, immediately got up and scurried off back inside. The instant that she was out of sight, Troxxel refocused her death glare at Jeremy. At first, he glared back at her with defiance, but her stare was so much more overpowering, that he eventually found himself getting up and taking his leave as well. _"Fuckin' Dragon Witch Lady."_ He cursed under his breath as he stalked off back inside.

Once the two young ones were gone, the fiery redhead plopped down next to Nicole with her legs crossed in a very unladylike fashion. "He's an arrogant lil' bastard." She grumbled more to herself than anyone. Nicole let out a small sound of agreement as she continued to stare off at the full moon.

Codey remained standing off to the side, smoking his cigarette as he silently observed his twin sister. He could tell how much this situation was bothering her. To be rejected by one's own mate was rumored to be the worst experience possible. That was why Youkai generally did not stray from their own kind, because other beings were not effected by the same rules of love. A deep frown curved his lips.

"You could always do what I do," Troxxel suggested to her friend. Her golden dragon eyes were also fixated on the reddened moon that hung high in the sky above them. "Pound some sense into him. Whenever Codey and I get into a fight, I just beat the sense back into him. Then we just magically stop fighting."

The male in the group let out a small grunt; Troxxel shot Codey and disapproving glare.

"I can't do that." Nicole murmured back, her voice would have been inaudible to anyone who did not have advanced hearing. Both Troxxel and Codey glanced back at Nicole when she spoke up. "He could leave anytime that he wants to. And sadly, since he is not like us, he doesn't ever have to come back. I could lose him forever. And as much as it to my disliking… I don't want that." The pain in her tone was obvious.

She suddenly found herself wishing that she could be like Colin. She wished that she could just stop caring, and grow no attachments. She wish that she could betray everything that she once loved…

Reading her mind, Codey directed a scowl her way. "That's stupid. You shouldn't think like that. There is nothing wrong with caring. The simple fact is, things would be a lot worse if you didn't feel anything in a situation like this." His tone was gentle, but stern.

Demetri let out a sound of agreement to Codey's statement. He pressed his head against Nicole's hand, begging for her attention. Finally, she shifted her stare away from the moon and glanced down at her feline companion. He in returned stared back up at her with his greenish golden eyes. A soft purr erupted from his throat. _"He's right master."_

He was right. Nicole acknowledged that. But that did not keep her from having a small desire to severe her emotional ties to Ulquiorra. She absentmindedly stroked Demetri's black fur, gliding her fingers between the soft strands.

Codey took an abrupt turn and sauntered off to take care of some urgent business. Neither Troxxel or Nicole questioned it, but Demetri glanced over his shoulder with a knowing stare.

_**XxXxX**_

Ulquiorra found himself all alone on the balcony of the spare room that Nicole's family had so graciously given him. He was staring out at the scenery, desperately wishing that he could just leave. That was the odd part though- he **could** leave. He could open up a gargantuan and return to Hueco Mundo. There were no Hell chains actually keeping him here, so why didn't he just leave? He did not know the answer to that, but he felt that he was obliged to stay…

His train of thought was interrupted when another presence became known. He turned to see another standing by his side. "You know, according to Youkai beliefs, one will go crazy if they deny themselves the pleasure of being with their mate for too long." A tenor male voice calmly spoke. Standing beside him was Nicole's twin brother, Codey Knight. Ulquiorra averted his eyes from the multicolor haired male and returned his hardened gaze to the scenery before them.

"I do not understand what relevance your statement has to me. Nor do I understand why you find the need to point this out to me." Ulquiorra bluntly replied in his usual cold tone.

Codey's devilishly keen eyes flickered to the pale faced Espada with curiosity. He searched the Arrancar's expressions for any sign of emotion, and was disappointed to find none. "Troxxel was right. You really are dense." He commented before swinging his long, slender legs over the railing of the balcony so that he may gracefully sit on top of the bar with his legs dangling over the edge.

Ulquiorra's hand subconsciously twitched to his sword from Codey's bold insult. "What…"

Codey looked over his shoulders to now view the annoyance that was hidden in Ulquiorra's emerald eyes. A cocky, yet dashing grin took hold of his lips, revealing his deadly canine fangs. "See, there is what I want to see. Some **emotion.** Emotions are good, you know." The Cuatro Espada chose to ignore him rather to engage in combat. Codey sighed at the lack of response that he received this time. "Look, if you thought that any of us do not know, you are as dumb as they come. We all know exactly what happened between you and Nicole, the night that she tried to escape. _**We know that you two are mated.**_We also know of how she abandoned you afterwards. And we know that that's why the two of you are having so many issues as of the moment."

Ulquiorra stared at Codey in bewilderment. "How do you know?"

Codey let out a disapproving scoff. "Please, as if anyone could hide anything from me. Especially Nicole. I am her twin, give me some credit. I know everything that goes on inside of that twisted little mind of hers. Not only that, but it is written all over your guy's faces. I know that you probably don't hear this all of the time, but to me, you are as easy to read as a book."

The Espada finally found his hand to be on the hilt of his Katana. "If that is true, than you should know better than to test me…" He threatened in a dark voice, growing incredibly tired of the Hanyou Boy's mind games.

The mismatched eyes that belong to Codey held a glint of amusement in them. "Now, now, no need to be so rash. I have never been much of one to pointlessly engage in a useless brawl. Beside that, I am always well aware when my opponents are bluffing, and you my sir, are bluffing." He teased, "I know that you will not attack me, for fear that you would further upset my dearest sister."

There was a hint of shock in the emerald eyes of the Arrancar. "If you are truly aware of what happened that night, then you would not make such a bold assumption. If you knew what really happened, you would know why I should not care whether what I do upset your_**sister**_or not." He retorted, his voice low and lethal.

"Ahh, but there is a key word in the sentence you just spoke; the word _**should**_. You stated that you _**should**_ not care. Not that you did not care." The half Youkai pointed out with a knowing smirk. Ulquiorra froze for a minute, but he did not say anything further to defend himself once he realized that it would only back fire.

"I see no use in this conversation." He stated before taking a step to turn around and walk away.

Codey's mood lightened from its deviously playful state to a much more serious one. "She mated with you, and then left you immediately after. I cannot, nor will I ever, blame you for being so upset with her." He murmured quietly, stopping the Espada cold in his tracks. "Tell me, do you really believe that you harbor that much hatred for her?"

"I do not believe such a thing. I feel nothing. No hatred, nonetheless any other useless or pointless emotion." Ulquiorra stated coldly. Something deep within him knew that that was not true, but he wanted so desperately for it to be.

There was a lighthearted laugh that escaped from the Kanara's lips. "Do not be such a fool. If you felt nothing, than why are you still here? I know that you have the ability to leave at anytime that you would like." The pale skinned Arrancar's eyes grew slightly wider, but he managed to maintain most of his composer. He just remained silent and still as he waited for Codey to continue. "At some level, you must really think that you hate her. You cannot deny it. Let me guess, there is this unbearable pain dwelling within your chest… It is unlike anything else you have ever experienced. You have never experienced such an outrageous sensation before, and all that you truly know is that you want it to stop. Am I right?"

He had hit the nail right on the head, though Ulquiorra would probably never admit that. Codey glanced back into the eyes of the inexperienced male and immediately know that his assumptions were accurate. "That is not hatred. You do not hate Nicole. It is another feeling entirely. Would you… Like me to tell you how to make it go away?" There was a spark of interest that flickered in the green depths of the Arrancar. Codey twitched him a feeble smile before adding, "All you have to do, is kiss her, and actually mean it this time. Next time when it looks like some fight is about to break out, but stop arguing and kiss her. I promise, everything will feel much better then."

Ulquiorra stared at him in disbelief. To think that he actually had begun to believe that this halfwit might tell him something useful. "I do not see how that would be deemed even the slightest bit appropriate given our current situation." That was the only thing he could think of replying with. He was truly astounded by how idiotic these creatures were. And to think, they were supposed to be more highly developed than Hollows… It surely did not show in their intelligence.

An almost humorless laugh escaped Codey as he watched the doubt that washed over the Arrancar. "What you feel is not hatred. In fact, it is not even anger. That burning sensation in your chest that I am sure you feel every waking moment, it is caused by you being _**hurt**_. She _**hurt**_ you. Which would not have been something that she could have done so easily if you did not care for her.

"You are in pain because you wanted that night to actually mean something. You have been emotionless for nearly all of your existence, and then here comes along some beautiful, outstanding girl, and you grew an attachment. It's not unheard of, Ulquiorra. It's the first time that you ever experienced something so good… And then one night, just when you finally thought that things in life will start to get better, she deceived you and left you. You woke up to realize that she just played you. She manipulated your newly developing feelings and made a fool out of you. Of course you are hurt. You are hurt because you wanted to wake up with her still there. You wanted to actually let this new feeling grow into something special. But she tore that away from you.

"I understand why you are so upset. But also keep in mind, that she was doing all of that in order to assure herself of survival…So do not so foolishly mistake this awful feeling for hatred when there is no justified reason to hate. Instead of blindly rejecting all of these newly forming feelings, embrace them. Set things right. _**Forgive her**__. _I can guarantee that she is feeling at least some regret after hurting you. If anything, I would be willing to bet that she never actually intended on sleeping with you just to run away- that she originally just planned to drain you of your blood, then sneak right passed you. But she accidentally made the mistake of actually developing feelings for you. That is what drove her to do something so reckless… And Youkai like us only mate to one individual, so I can only imagine how much effort it took her to force herself to abandon you after that." Codey's lips twitched into a more noticeable frown at the thought.

"She must have really been distressed and determined for her to do such a thing… but even so, after mustering up all of that strength and determination, she came running right back to you when she sensed that you were in danger. Because she _**cares**_." He let out a dramatic sigh and reached up to rub his temples as he closed his eyes in frustration. God his sister always made a mess, and he was always the one responsible for cleaning it up…

"So just take my advice. Kiss her, actually mean this kiss, and then tell her you're sorry. No more fighting, no more arguing, no more pain. I can assure you that the moment you do this, all of the tension and the bitterness between the two of you, will instantly disappear. She will submit to you, and all of the pointless bickering will ceased to exist. If you swallow your pride, she will be forced to swallow her own." By the end of his own rant, Codey was seething. Why were these two so fucking dense? It depressed him beyond all belief at how stupid they were when it came to relationships.

Ulquiorra kept quiet even after Codey was done. What the Kanara said was irrational. But he was just as irrational of a creature as Nicole, so perhaps what he said made sense in their world…

Codey glanced back at the Espada, then through his arms up in defeat after a long moment of silence passed. "You know what, forget it." He exclaimed with frustration. He swung his legs back over the railing of the balcony and retreated back inside. "I don't give a rats ass whether you end up happy are not. But be warned, I will break you in two if you don't at least make her happy." He told Ulquiorra before disappearing inside.

_What complicated creatures…_

_**XxXxX**_

_**Uhg… I have work from 8-midnight tonight. Screw this DX I hate it. At least after that I have three days off… Hopefully I can get some much needed rest. Anyways… I don't really know how I feel about this chapter. I kind of wrote it in a hurry. Found myself with some free time and decided I needed to work on this.**_

_**Let me know what you think… Leave a review ^^ I love hearing from you all 3**_

_**(Especially you Shay XD) **_

_**Oh yeah! I have also been playing with the idea of taking requests for one shots or short stories… if you are interested, shoot me a message and I will see about it^^ **_

_**Until Next Time!**_


	20. Our Heart (part One)

_**Random Reader: I love you ._. Lol! I really wish that you had an account so that I could send you a thanks faster than this. Your comments and input are much appreciated 3 And I know… I mean I figured that someone who has no experience with Emotions would be a little emotional bitch when the feelings finally hit them XD But I don't think Nicole makes it any better. She's mean XD and cranky.**_

_**Apocalyptic War: Weeeellll it's not exactly a fight… XD**_

_**FanGirl1567: Codey is a boss XD If I had to choose who is my favorite character that I have ever made (besides Nicole), I would have to either pick Codey or Troxxel… Codey because he is probably the most intelligent and thoughtful, and then Troxxel just because she is really mean and cranky XD! I based her off of my friend Cierra XD they are just like each other, all the way down to the bright ass red hair!**_

_**MLPKayla: I have some short stories/scenes that I have written on my tumblr account. I was thinking about posting them on here, but I am lazy… So that might take me a while. Most of the stuff I have up is original things, but if you are interested in checking them out, go to .com ~! And thank you so much for the kind words 3**_

_**StAnd out - SHOUT OUT: Yeah the midnight shifts suck! I mean it isn't the work that bothers me, it's the fact that my nightshift manager is a **__**( #&R#IO$U**__**($! **__**ß**__**- (insert all swear words imaginable in here) DX**_

_Chapter Twenty: Our Heart_

_Why do I always have to screw things up?_

Nicole sat on her silk sheeted bed, all alone inside of her room. She eyes wandered over the blank marble walls. Funny how she originally thought it was strange how Ulquiorra did nothing to personalize his room, when she did the same exact thing.

It was not always that way though. She used to be one of those girls who kept collages of pictures up on her walls in order to always preserve those memories. She frowned to herself at the thought. That was long before she grew up and realized that several of those memories were not worth preservation.

She let out a small sigh, her eyes wandered to the window that was positioned on the left side of her bed.

She could no longer deny it. Not having him with her hurt beyond all belief. She had become so accustomed to him being right by her side, that no longer having him there almost physically hurt her. Having him so close to her had just felt so right… It almost felt _normal_. And that confused her beyond belief. He was hardly the emotional type… She knew that he would never be the one to tell her that he loved her. But still, regardless, she wanted him. Or dare she say it- she _needed_ him.

The blonde haired beauty found herself curling up into a ball at the thought. She hugged her knees to her chest and rested her chin on top of them. Her multicolored eyes longingly stared out at the rising red moon. It was night time again. An entire day had passed, and she had just been sulking inside of her room for the whole time.

_This is all my fault…_

_**XxXxX**_

"_Just tell her how you feel. Let her explain herself. Then, despite her answer, just kiss her." _Codey's words of advice repeatedly ran through Ulquiorra's head as he paced down the vacant hall of the Knight Family's mansion. He's verdant eyes remained focus ahead of him, ignoring all of his other surroundings as he approached his desired designation. _"After that kiss, I can guarantee that all of this resentment, anger, anguish and pain will gradually fade away as the night passes."_ Was that true? Were these emotions really that easy to cure? Ulquiorra never before had experienced these things. Emotions were never something that he saw value in, so he disregarded them. That was of course until he met this devilishly charming vixen.

She had put a curse on him- she forced him to endure things that he never intended on dealing with. Surely, reserving this damage that she had inflicted was not as simple as Codey had suggested. Was it? _"Just trust me." _Ulquiorra had never before trusted or relied on anyone. But right now, what choice did he have? How was he supposed to deal with something so foreign to him? He had no other option that to have faith in that multicolor haired halfwit.

He came to a halt when he reached the location in which he sought. Before him was a redwood door, one that contrasted well with the black marble surrounding it. The wooden slab was plain yet elegant in design, and had a single silver door knob placed on it. He hesitantly reached for the knob, beginning to second guess his plans. However, his body betrayed him, denying him the option of turning back as his stark white fingers turned the knob and forced the entrance open.

Sitting inside was his very source of pain. There that she-devil sat on a black silk sheeted bed, keeping her back turned to him as she continued to stare out of the window up at the brilliant red moon that hung low on the horizon. Even with her back turned to him, she looked absolutely stunning. The subtle crimson glow that seeped through the glass of the window caressed her ivory flesh in an enticing way, only adding to her already irresistible allure. That dull light highlighted the ample curves of her perfectly shaped body.

Nicole did not need to turn around to recognized whom had entered the room, she had sensed his arrival before he had even opened the door. "What do you want." It sounded almost too glum to be a genuine question.

Any normal person would have turned right then and left at hearing how unpleased she sounded, but luckily, Ulquiorra was not normal. "I am nearly following the instructions given by your brother. Blame him for my presence." He stated rather bluntly and coldly. She reluctantly shifted her position to face him, her feline eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"Why are you here?" When she turned to face him, he could not help but notice that she was wearing such a provocative outfit. The dip of the collar of her shirt revealed a generous amount of cleavage. That alone was almost enough to distract him to the point of forgetting why he had come.

"I wish to speak with you." He stated matter-of-factly after regaining his train of thoughts.

"Clearly." She retorted with an irritated scoff. People who stated the obvious tended to get on her nerves very quickly.

It took Ulquiorra a good moment to respond. "Your persistent brother insists that these unwanted effects of mine will ceased to exist once I have explained them to you." He told her with cold and collected confidence, yet he was internally doubting the use of this conversation.

"Oh?" Nicole scanned over him with her eyes, as if expecting some sort of trickery. "Explain these 'side effects' then." What was he referring to? Why did this damned Espada have to make everything so complicated…

He was reluctant to speak. His jaw muscles tensed as he forced himself to talk. "It started the night of your 'seduction'." He told her with absolutely no shame. His hand brushed over his own chest. "I am experiencing a severe aching sensation in my chest area… Though there is clearly no injury to be spotted. I cannot seem to focus my mind either. My thoughts all linger around one person, which is unfortunately _you_. Though every time your face comes to mind, I am forced to endure another shock wave of pain that radiates throughout my sternum and chest area…"

Nicole's intense glare softened at his words. "You are experiencing a heartache." She informed him. Her previously calloused tone died down into a feeble whisper.

"Impossible," He countered, "I have no heart." He directed his index finger towards his hollow hole to remind her.

"You do not require a physical heart to have a heartache." She told him, here keen eyes following his motion to catch side of the circular black mass took residence on his sternum.

_XxXxX_

_**Sorry guys, I will post a part two to this later… Getting really caught up with work! I have Wednesday off though, so after I finish my homework for the week, I will try posting part two that night. Thanks! **_


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